How about a cheeky bit of mite-on-mite action to help with the midweek slump? This hard-bodied oribatid mite has an uninvited hitchhiker taking it for a ride. The stowaway is a juvenile dust mite (Astigmatina), which is using a special pair of suction pads to keep it tightly clamped onto its host. It’s so well adapted for hitching a lift, that it has entirely given up on feeding during transit, with its mouthparts reduced and its digestive system effectively shut down. The baby mite will stay clamped on like this until its host arrives at greener pastures, where it will then drop off, regrow its feeding ability and eventually develop into an adult. The scientific term for this hitchhiking behaviour is 'phoresy', and plenty of soil animals do it - but mites have arguably perfected it. When you're this tiny, it really pays to outsource your means of travel! #TheWorldBeneathOurFeet #SoilBiodiversity #Macrophotography #SoilEcology #Nature #NaturePhotography #Entomology #Acarology