An observation

[alex_antonin]

I was thinking earlier today about how humans think their species is so special, but aren't really. They're really not much different from any other animal. I was also thinking about what exactly the differences were. I realized that yes, humans are pretty intelligent in some ways. But in others, they tend to be way behind. Then I started thinking about their behavior and classification. Recognizing that they are very good at building things, I realized that they aren't like other mammals. No other mammal builds things like humans do. I tried to think if any other animals besides humans were builders, and I could think only of ants, termites, bees, and wasps. Humans may be mammals, but they behave more like hive insects. Yes, humans are mammalian insects. Like a cross between a mammal, army ants, and termites: they sweep over the land, devouring everything in their path, leaving structures behind. They nest in the structures. And like some varieties of
ants, they have agriculture.

Yes, humans think they're so unique, but there's nothing humans are doing that hasn't already been done by other species. The only difference is the scale, and the fact that humans are the only mammalian species to swarm and hive like insects. Sure, you might cite herds or packs, but herds and packs don't really leave behind structures like humans or insects. A den here or there if they're a predatory pack-hunting species, but nothing at all like what humans or hive insects build.

So there you are, you too-proud Humanity: you are furry, warm-blooded termites.