Sometimes, we humans let our dumb values prevent us from taking biological realities seriously. Take pooping, for example: People have decided pooping is gross, even though it’s a thing that most of us do literally every day. Now, some scientists think that even cannibalism is worth another hard look.
In a chance discovery, a research team from Europe has learned that a common insect larva is capable of breaking down the plastic found in shopping bags and other polyethylene-based products. This trash-munching caterpillar could inspire scientists to develop a new chemical process to tackle the growing problem of…
Did Donald Trump happen to lose one of his signature hairpieces in the Amazonian wilds of Peru? Wildlife photographer Jeff Cremer snapped this image of a caterpillar sporting the Republican candidate’s signature bright orange-yellow tufts of hair while on a scouting expedition in Peru.
Hordes of gypsy moth caterpillars are currently ravaging parts of the Northeastern United States. Newly released images from space show the alarming damage being done to New England forests by these leaf-munching insects.
Here’s the life cycle of a monarch butterfly. From the wild green creepy critter crawler caterpillar to the unassuming cocoon to the beautifully complex and intricate butterfly itself. We get to see the entire process and it’s like a magic trick, enter one way and exit completely different. Nature is always the best…
Pine Processionary caterpillars are interesting little creatures. They go on long treks in single file lines. One day, a botanist decided to mess with them. What resulted was a strangely inspirational death march.
Meet the tobacco hornworm, a caterpillar that regularly eats tobacco leaves loaded with nicotine. Research now shows this little bugger has a strange and unique defense against hungry spiders: It "puffs out" nicotine, creating a kind of toxic bad breath.
It's incredible, really. It features a central spire and an encircling picket-fence that's been reinforced by horizontal rails, and is strung together by a series of radially oriented guy wires. An impressive edifice at any scale, the structure measures less than 2 cm across. And here's the real kicker: nobody knows…
This past week, I decided to try my hand at cooking a new meat: caterpillar. To my surprise, I found the caterpillars in question, waxworms, easy to cook and quite tasty. If you've been thinking about trying bug-eating yourself, this is a project you can try at home.
Robots are so commonplace now that we use them to entertain kids at amusement parks. But even though modern technology has given us artificial lifeforms that can walk, talk, and even fly, there's still something utterly fascinating about pre-electronic mechanical automatons like this Vers de Soie caterpillar dating…
The Oak Processionary Moth is a nasty little beast. It's native to Europe, but didn't show up in the United Kingdom until 2006, when a few eggs hitched a ride on oak trees transplanted to London. Since then, it's been causing environmental chaos. Now it's threatening to seriously screw up the Summer Olympics.
It's shaped like a caterpillar. It's colored like a caterpillar. It even has what appear to be spines running along its back, a feature common in many species of caterpillars. But this is no caterpillar.
The Gypsy moth is one of the most obnoxious pests in the US today, capable of decimating whole forests. So of course the government wants them eradicated. But so potent is the virus they use to control them that it makes them suicidal and melts their insides.
