5 Fantastic And Bizarre Caterpillar Facts

While some people find caterpillars to be cute, adorable little  creatures, others are utterly terrified of them. However, few people  know how truly fascinating and bizarre the world of the humble  caterpillar really is from toxic nicotine breath, to butt communication,  to one of the most incredible transformation processes in the animal  kingdom, there is a lot more to these squishy little creatures than  meets the eye. This fascinating list will reveal unbelievable displays of mind  control, a previously unknown form of locomotion, ants drugged into  submission, and even a Donald Trump look-alike. 

     1. Toxic Nicotine Breath

The caterpillar absorbs nicotine from its gut into its hemolymph, which  is the liquid that acts as an insect’s bloodstream. It then opens little  pores in its skin called spiracles which release toxic miasmal clouds  of the poison.  This process is called defensive halitosis (which means defensive bad  breath) and, when toxic puffs are aimed at predators like the wolf  spider, it prevents the caterpillar from being attacked and eaten.

     2. Caterpillar Overlords

The caterpillars of Japan’s oakblue butterfly have an ingenious defense mechanism which protects them against spiders,  wasps, and other insect-predators: They enslave ants, forcing them to  become aggressive bodyguards, by using a chemical which the caterpillar  secretes in sugary droplets through its skin. The ants are drawn to the  scent of this delicious secretion, and once they have consumed it, they  will not return to their nest, forage for food, or leave the side of  their caterpillar overlord.

     3. Portable Suit of Armor

The recently discovered hermit crab caterpillar from Peru exhibits a  behavior that, as far as anyone can tell, has never been previously seen  in caterpillars before. The caterpillar makes its own little suit of  armor (kind of like a portable protective cage) out of leaves which it  rolls into a small tube and glues together using its sticky spit. The  caterpillar then lies inside this tube and drags itself around the forest floor using its mouth, pulling its leafy coverage along behind it.

     4. Trumpapillar

This fuzzy little fella is called the flannel moth caterpillar, but  researchers who encountered the critter in the Peruvian Amazon nicknamed  it the “Trumpapillar” due to its similarity in color and style to Donald Trump’s hair. These caterpillars actually come in a range of colors, including white, pink, red, and yellow.

     5. Caterpillar Soup and Imaginal Disks

Okay, So this one is long. Most people are well aware that caterpillars spin cocoons to protect  their chrysalis while they go through their metamorphosis. The chrysalis  itself, the hardened shell the caterpillar transforms in, actually  grows underneath the caterpillar’s last layer of skin. When this skin is  shed, the chrysalis is revealed. To begin with, the chrysalis is quite  soft, but it hardens up to protect the caterpillar inside as it pupates.  And here is where things get fascinatingly bizarre: Now that the  caterpillar is encased in a protective shell, it releases digestive enzymes  which break down its body into a chunky caterpillar soup. The  caterpillar literally dissolves itself, but some very important parts  called imaginal disks remain intact.

Source: http://listverse.com/2017/08/30/10-fantastic-and-bizarre-caterpillar-facts/

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