A caterpillar’s body is a squishy sausage of flesh and fluid encased
in a tough outer skin. As it grows it eventually gets too big for its
own skin, at which point it molts: the caterpillar cracks the old skin,
crawls out, and grows a new larger skin.
Each gum leaf
skeletoniser molts up to thirteen times before spinning a cocoon and
transforming into an adult moth. Starting from the fourth molt, the gum
leaf skeletoniser keeps the head shells from its old skins and stacks
them on its head.
Low placed two caterpillars in a petri dish, one with a head shell stack and one without, then introduced a predatory stinkbug into the arena and watched what happened.
The
stinkbug probed the caterpillar with its rostrum, a needle-like mouth
that injects toxins and sucks prey dry. In response the caterpillar
thrashed about, swung its head, regurgitated food and retreated.
The caterpillars without head shells succumbed within 14 seconds, but
the caterpillars with head shells thwarted the predator for at least
120 seconds – although they also succumbed in the end.
Often, the
bug stabbed the head shells instead of the caterpillar, suggesting that
the horn confuses predators. Also, when the bug stabbed the soft flesh
behind the armoured head, the caterpillar swung its horn to deflect the
bug’s needle.
It was a small study, so the results are inconclusive. But Low feels
“very confident that the head shell stack played a part in prolonging
the attack.”
We’ve all heard of “Adopt a Tiger” or “Adopt
a Panda” campaigns. Whilst these are worthy causes, why not share some
love for some less appreciated animals?
Look at these adorable lobsters. You can name a lobster for
only £3.00GBP, which gets you a certificate and you can find out when your lobster
has been released into the wild off the coast of Cornwall, UK. There’s plenty
of other options too, which come with stuffed plush lobsters, chocolate
lobsters, anything lobster-related you could want!
Money goes towards the National Lobster Hatchery, which
raises lobsters and releases them into the wild as part of a sustainable scheme
which works alongside local fishermen to increase wild lobster populations.
This scheme has been so successful it’s being introduced to other parts of the
UK, too!
Lobsters not for you? How about naming a roach, for only
$15USD. Plus there’s a bunch of really cute cockroach-related goodies up for
grabs, too. Money raised goes towards
the Wildlife Conservation Society!
Okay, so maybe you don’t like invertebrates. That’s okay,
there’s plenty of lesser known vertebrates looking for help, too.
You can adopt a kākāpō and help protect the remaining 151 in
the wild. 151, that’s crazy! That’s only 1 generation of pokémon’s worth of kākāpō
left in the wild.
This adoption scheme is a little more pricy, with $100 NZD
for the lowest tier, but it gets you an adoption certificate, a plush kakapo
and some other goodies! Who wouldn’t want to adopt a kākāpō named “Bluster
Murphy”?
Not strictly an adoption scheme, 20% of the sale price ($49
USD) of each of these adorable Plush American Oystercatchers goes to real
Oystercatchers through a donation to the Conserve Wildlife Foundation of New
Jersey. I just couldn’t resist adding this.
Thank you for reading! If anyone has any more unusual animal adoption suggestions, feel free to add onto this post!
“The patient: this 3-day-old little boy was born with torn upper and lower wings. Let’s see how we can help!”
Today the Department of Awesomely Good Deeds salutes costume designer and master embroiderer Romy McCloskey who used her fine skills with delicate materials to help a monarch butterfly she’d raised and who’d emerged from his cocoon with damaged right wings.
“The operating room and supplies: towel, wire hanger, contact cement, toothpick, cotton swab, scissors, tweezers, talc powder, extra butterfly wing”
“Securing the butterfly and cutting the damaged parts away. Don’t worry it doesn’t hurt them. It’s like cutting hair or trimming fingernails”
“Ta-da! With a little patience and a steady hand, I fit the new wings to my little guy”
“The black lines do not match completely and it is missing the black dot (male marking) on the lower right wing, but with luck, he will fly”
“FLIGHT DAY! After a day of rest and filling his belly with homemade nectar, it is time to see if he will fly”
“With a quick lap around the yard and a little rest on a bush, he was off! A successful surgery and outcome! Bye, little buddy! Good luck”
Urocyon's Jaunts 2.0 
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