Anonymous asked: you seen that caterpillar that creates a cocoon that looks like a snake?

iguanamouth:

ahh i actually havent ! at first i thought you were actually talking about a CATERPILLAR that looks like a snake, and said cocoon on accident (specifically the caterpillar of the hemeroplanes triptolemus, or snake-mimic hawk moth)

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but it TURNS OUT theres a species of butterfly that takes it way further, to the point where all the other caterpillars are like “is this really fucking necessary”

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its the chrysalis of the daring-owl butterfly ! a species thats found in trinidad and spends a good portion of its young adult life trying to convince other things that its not actually completely helpless

LOOK at the detail thats gone into this though- i cant even imagine the journey  this look mustve taken, with lightly less-snakelike chrysalises being eaten over time again and again until youve got something with definable eyes and scales

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apparently if disturbed theyll also rock violently back and forth, furthering the idea that this is a very dangerous pitviper with the tiniest body imaginable

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the adult butterflies are much less exciting but honestly they dont need to be with a history like that a+ bug

(photos from x x x x )

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