Friday, September 1, 2017

The Trumpapillar...!

Mother Nature can throw us a surprise from time to time, as we've talked about before. Here is one more example for ya!

You may notice a slight resemblance of a famous person, but let me assure you this is just the way nature made these guys. I had nothing to do with it!

Trumpapillar



This fuzzy little fella is called the flannel moth caterpillar, but researchers who encountered the critter in the Peruvian Amazon nicknamed it the “Trumpapillar” due to its similarity in color and style to Donald Trump’s hair. These caterpillars actually come in a range of colors, including white, pink, red, and yellow.

The hairs that adorn the caterpillar’s body closely resemble tarantula hairs, and they are covered in little venomous spines which cause an excruciating rash upon contact.[12] This defense method is so successful that, in an example of Batesian mimicry, the chicks of an Amazonian bird called the cinereous mourner look almost exactly like the fuzzy yellow caterpillar. When in danger, the baby bird will even mimic the caterpillar’s movements precisely so as to deter predators such as snakes and monkeys who wish to avoid contact with the venomous Trumpapillar at all costs.

I found this creepy crawler over on Listverse, so I didn't have manipulate any pictures or anything like that. Besides, if I saw one of these around, I sure wouldn't want to touch it!

Coffee out on the patio again this morning. AC is still broke and it's HOT inside!

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

I have not seen this type of caterpillars before. By seeing the picture first i taught that it was a beautiful colored feather. Then when i started to read the post i was surprised to know that it was a caterpillar:)

HermitJim said...

Hey WW...
Yeah, nature sure can surprise us at times. Very colorfully, I might add!
Thanks for stopping by today!

linda m said...

I have never seen that caterpillar before. Wow, what a beauty - looks like feathers instead of hairs. Sure hope you can get your AC fixed real soon. I would be a melted pile of flesh on the floor by now without it - or else permanently stationed in front of a fan blowing air over a dish of water to cool me of. Have a great weekend.

HermitJim said...

Hey Linda...
It is pretty, no doubt about it. Kinda deadly, also.
Thanks for coming over today!

JO said...

Yep it sure is pretty looking but a no touch.

I guess it's hard to get service in your area right now to get that a/c fixed so sorry. I would be staying somewhere else of course that's just me. Not a nice person when I'm hot like that.

Dizzy-Dick said...

Did you get any water in or around your home from this flood? Stay dry my friend and I like your Trumpapiller but wouldn't want to touch it.

HermitJim said...

Hey Jo...
No extra space is available around the city, with so many folks displaced. Everything is full.Service people are swamped with calls and request, so we do the best we can.
Thanks, dear, for dropping by today!


Hey Dizzy...
No water inside , so that's a good thing. Yard is soggy, but no standing water to speak of. Gonna be steamy as it warms up.
Thanks for the visit today!