Caterpillar Snake

(Pic - by Daniel Janzen U-Penn/GrindTV)

Recently, I was stunned to see this photograph -- a caterpillar pretending to be a snake!

Cuckoo's can fool crows into hatching their eggs, hermit-crabs can learn to use discarded shells for protection, and even lung-breathing whales could have evolved over time to life in the oceans. But can an organism that cannot see very well, evolve to mimic one of its numerous predators in the forest?

Can the Theory of Evolution really explain this?

As if to mock this theory, this is what the caterpillar eventually becomes - a drab looking moth (Hemeroplanes triptolemus) that depends on its sense of smell to mate and survive.

(Source - Wikipedia)

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LINKS

http://www.grindtv.com/outdoor/nature/post/caterpillar-appears-snake-camouflage/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hemeroplanes_triptolemus

Tussar Silkworms

In early morning sunlight, a Tussar silkworm is an incredibly beautiful sight.

The surprising thing is that despite its large size, you are likely to miss it completely, until you notice that during the Autumn season, some trees have been stripped of all their leaves. 

Tussar silkworms come in shades of green that blend perfectly into the foliage of Arjuna trees (Terminalia arjuna). If the color does not fool you, it also has a'twig' color-band along its sides. And like one of those fancy trailer trucks on our highways, it has a string of orange 'lights' running the length of its body!

Do these 'lights' serve some purpose? I've been scouring the net for more information but nothing has turned up so far..

Tussar silk ("Kosa" in Sanskrit), alongside Eri and Muga, happen to be some of the earliest non-plant fibers adopted in India. Yet, it is surprising to see so little information available on Google Scholar about their origins either as traded goods, or in terms of entomological studies. 

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LINKS:

- Fiber Stories -- http://www.naturalfibres2009.org/en/stories/silk.html

- Tussar Silk -- http://www.utsavpedia.com/textiles/tussar-silk-the-story-of-wild-silk/

- http://www.copperwiki.org/index.php?title=Tussar_Silk

- Prasad, Mahesh (2011): INDIA'S FOREIGN TRADE - FROM ANTIQUITY TO DATE, Google books -- http://books.google.co.in/books?hl=en&lr=&id=P2KyHFkBh9EC&oi=fnd&pg=PA7&dq=tussar+silk+history&ots=vyC6nfgeJ-&sig=Z44Gn6GuQZ-ORB2wezi_dTWAYfI#v=onepage&q&f=false

- Wardle, Thomas (1880): Wild Silks of India - Principally Tusser -- Google Books -- http://books.google.co.in/books?hl=en&lr=&id=24kIAAAAQAAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PA1&dq=tussar+silk+history&ots=6NVQ3DvL6V&sig=cB9NwpJ_P1nsZt1AX9N-RlWqnxk#v=onepage&q&f=false

- Kosa Silk -- http://www.utsavpedia.com/textiles/kosa-silk-the-heritage-of-chattisgarh/

* 10 most toxic caterpillars -- http://www.environmentalgraffiti.com/nature/news-ten-creepy-and-colorful-caterpillar-hazardous-human-health?image=0