Thursday, June 5, 2025

There's weird, and then there's this

 

A new species of caterpillar found in Hawaii protects itself by putting pieces of dead insects on its body.

Seriously.  I mean, seriously.

Carnivorous ‘Bone Collector’ Caterpillars Wear Corpses as Camouflage

"So how exactly did these caterpillars take on this hardcore habit? The answer is probably evolutionary, Rubinoff says. Bone collector caterpillars grow up to be moths, like most caterpillars do, but these moths tend to lay their eggs in a spiderweb’s nooks and crannies. A newly hatched caterpillar then collects bones to “camouflage itself from the spider landlord,” Rubinoff says. “The only chance they have of making a living in this situation is to decorate or die; they live for fashion.”

Watch the video:

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