A most bizarre and mysterious cocoon(whyevolutionistrue.wordpress.com)
whyevolutionistrue.wordpress.com
A most bizarre and mysterious cocoon
http://whyevolutionistrue.wordpress.com/2013/08/29/a-most-bizarre-and-mysterious-cocoon/
31 comments
Nature never ceases to amaze me. If you want to see some of the weirdest, most fantastically odd things Evolution has produced (for example, dancing spiders with multi-colored 'capes' that pop up), I highly recommend this blog: http://wtfevolution.tumblr.com
Oh my god, he's Campbell-locking.
After all, he's got the quick movements with the stops in between, and he wears some pretty colorful locking outfit. Since I can't find any evidence for Campbell inheriting this behavior from the spider or the other way round, I say it co-evolved.
After all, he's got the quick movements with the stops in between, and he wears some pretty colorful locking outfit. Since I can't find any evidence for Campbell inheriting this behavior from the spider or the other way round, I say it co-evolved.
Before I set off to cook, I thought to myself, let me check out one more thread. And then you had to go post that site.
Well, there goes the rest of my evening. ;)
Well, there goes the rest of my evening. ;)
I was completely okay until I came across his entry on http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydnellum_peckii and then I was done for the day
What a great site! Thanks.
A quick search turns up Bucculatricidae as a good candidate.
Example cocoon: http://bugguide.net/images/raw/Y0BQZSBQF0AQJ08KLSBQTK5KCK4K9...
Example cocoon: http://bugguide.net/images/raw/Y0BQZSBQF0AQJ08KLSBQTK5KCK4K9...
I thought the same, but they already discussed that in the comments [1] as the first serious contender, only to ultimately dismiss it as something else entirely.
[1] http://whyevolutionistrue.wordpress.com/2013/08/29/a-most-bi...
[1] http://whyevolutionistrue.wordpress.com/2013/08/29/a-most-bi...
They came to the same conclusion in the original thread last week - http://www.reddit.com/r/pics/comments/1lcb09/possible_new_sp...
Another interesting cocoon, linked to from the comments: http://blog.perunature.com/2013/06/the-incredible-urodid-mot...
Instead of hiding, the caterpillar builds an open-air net-like structure which hangs by a thread from the bottom of a leaf. The video hypothesizes that the structure both protects the pupa from ants and allows rain to flow through it (both of which seem like critical features in the Amazonian rainforest).
Also, it looks really cool.
Instead of hiding, the caterpillar builds an open-air net-like structure which hangs by a thread from the bottom of a leaf. The video hypothesizes that the structure both protects the pupa from ants and allows rain to flow through it (both of which seem like critical features in the Amazonian rainforest).
Also, it looks really cool.
Any search engine experts here? How do people try to find the answer to this question if they know nothing about the subject?
My approach is to bang in various words and do image searches, forcing some and not others, and then try similar words. [weird cocoon] or [weird egg sac peru] and then sometimes including a subject word. (Entomology).
Then I do a TinEye search, or a GoogleImage search to see if I can find other pages talkng about it.
This feels sub-optimal.
What's a better approach?
My approach is to bang in various words and do image searches, forcing some and not others, and then try similar words. [weird cocoon] or [weird egg sac peru] and then sometimes including a subject word. (Entomology).
Then I do a TinEye search, or a GoogleImage search to see if I can find other pages talkng about it.
This feels sub-optimal.
What's a better approach?
I'm not sure if you have much of a chance of finding the answer if you know nothing about the subject - unless someone else already blogged about it somewhere. I'm sure that many of the people that are confused about it in the comments actually do have a background in biology, and they're having a tough time.
There's another possibility. Because of where this was discovered, it's more than possible that it's a new species. There are plenty of undiscovered species in the tropics, especially in the insecta class.
Absolutely. It's not a "the first person who can tell me what this is a picture of gets a prize" thing, it's an "I'm a biologist and I'm genuinely confused about what this is, please help" thing.
Looks like some form of http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sisyridae
I believe it's a drunk hipster spider feeling all artsy.
http://www.google.com/imgres?um=1&sa=N&hl=en&authuser=0&biw=...
http://www.google.com/imgres?um=1&sa=N&hl=en&authuser=0&biw=...
It looks remarkably like the top of a water droplet hitting a pool of water in slow motion.
My first thought was "Edgerton milk drop".
http://www.agallery.com/Pages/photographers/edgerton.html
http://www.agallery.com/Pages/photographers/edgerton.html
it looks like a little hut/house surrounded by a tall fence. What a fantastic thing!
I'm guessing that it evolved the fence to prevent crawling predators from feasting on the cocoon while the bug is pupating. That said, its a really interesting example.
The next time the guy is out in the jungle and sees one the thing to do is to take it home, put it in a jar, and wait to see what pops out. I learned about mosquito eggs that way, as a youth I thought they were tadpole eggs, put them in my jar and waited for frogs. Instead I got mosquito larvae and then a jar of dead mosquitos (I didn't take the top off once I recognized the larval form.)
The next time the guy is out in the jungle and sees one the thing to do is to take it home, put it in a jar, and wait to see what pops out. I learned about mosquito eggs that way, as a youth I thought they were tadpole eggs, put them in my jar and waited for frogs. Instead I got mosquito larvae and then a jar of dead mosquitos (I didn't take the top off once I recognized the larval form.)
Or maybe set up a camera to take pictures every couple of minutes. Sometimes removing these things from their environment may prevent them from hatching.
Incredible. I looks the organism erected a fence to protect whatever it is in the center. If this turns out not to be a hoax it will be truly amazing. It is part of the "Endless Forms" of life.
http://bugguide.net/node/view/754227/bgimage
It might not be the only bug that believes fences make good neighbors.
FYI: I found out about that from http://io9.com/we-have-absolutely-no-clue-what-built-this-cr...
It might not be the only bug that believes fences make good neighbors.
FYI: I found out about that from http://io9.com/we-have-absolutely-no-clue-what-built-this-cr...
> I looks the organism erected a fence to protect whatever it is in the center.
It does look like that, but it doesn't make sense, since if the flimsy fence is strong enough to keep something out, the cocoon should also be strong enough.
It does look like that, but it doesn't make sense, since if the flimsy fence is strong enough to keep something out, the cocoon should also be strong enough.
Tell the truth. What would you say if the "fence" was electrified?
Evolution be praised.
A few months ago a friend told me he felt hn had jumped the shark. This frontpage discussion about a blog post about a reddit thread pretty much settles any debate there was to be had on that topic!
"I'll miss the sea, but a person needs new experiences. They jar something deep inside, allowing him to grow. Without change something sleeps inside us, and seldom awakens. The sleeper must awaken."
That's a knee-jerk reaction. I don't particularly enjoy reddit but this is quite interesting. Judge the story, not the source.