Fossil termite nests near Calitzdorp get a scientific name

Researchers at the University of Cape Town have named a kind of fossil termite nest for Calitzdorp, the Little Karoo town where eight of the structures were found. Phys.org reported the naming on November 2, 2026, from the university. The trace fossil is Columnanidus calitzdorpensis. Each nest is about a meter deep and about 65 centimeters across, with a central cavity and a thick wall of galleries. Uranium-series dates put the nests between 323,000 and 401,000 years old.

The soft-bodied insects are gone. Termite activity helped calcium carbonate build up in the sand, and that hardening preserved the shape. A local artist noticed the pipe-like features in the early 2000s. They were first taken for old ovens. One structure is already at the Calitzdorp Museum. In October the team, led by Miengah Abrahams, returned with a poster so visitors, especially children, could see what was under the ground nearby. CT scans showed burrow shapes the authors say they have not found elsewhere. The name covers these eight nests. It is not a claim about termites living in the town today.