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Meat-Eating Caterpillar; It hunts snails and ties them down
ScienceNews ^
| 7/23/05
| S. Milius
Posted on 07/31/2005 5:51:47 PM PDT by furball4paws
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To: furball4paws
For what it's worth, quite a few caterpillars of common species are cannibalistic. But it remains to be determined whether they do so in order to get some "meat" in their diet, or because it eliminates the competition -- too many caterpillars on the same hostplant at the same time can strip it entirely, causing all to starve. Eating others of your species whenever you run across them is a workable way to thin out the "herd" so that there's enough hostplant left to go around.
Our back yard is a certified National Wildlife Foundation habitat for butterflies/moths (not as hard to get as it might sound), and we raise caterpillars to help boost local populations (most species are on the decline because of habitat destruction). We've released over a hundred adult butterflies so far this year, and have about another hundred currently in the "pipeline". Keeping some of them from eating each other is part of the process. The Polydamas Swallowtails are especially bad in that regard -- we've lost over a dozen that way so far.
To: furball4paws
OH, yeh. I forgot about them. Maybe it wasn't so bad after all. Now just *try* to get that song out of your head.
To: Ichneumon
Yeah, but the singing twins were hot.... They were on the sci-Fi Channel, last week; tue., wed., thur. 3:00am-5:00am I taped/erased them. LOL! Japanese B-films (1996ish). a real HOOT!
43
posted on
07/31/2005 6:52:12 PM PDT
by
skinkinthegrass
(Just because you're paranoid, doesn't mean they aren't out to get you :^)
To: Ichneumon
Interesting, but this guy is more of a predator.
44
posted on
07/31/2005 6:52:18 PM PDT
by
furball4paws
(One of the last Evil Geniuses, or the first of their return.)
To: furball4paws
How long would it take this snail to eat a whacky lib? Can we test it and find out, LMAO!
45
posted on
07/31/2005 6:52:20 PM PDT
by
rockabyebaby
(What do you like best about your life?)
To: Hot Tabasco
I'm not sure about what varieties are native to Honduras, but from the shape of the forewings it looks like some relative to the Atlas moth -- so named because it gets freakin' *huge*:
To: furball4paws
Interesting, but this guy is more of a predator. Yup. But I'm wondering if the one type of behavior might have evolved into the other.
To: Hugin
..but a giant moth?... Yeah, but watch out if you're wearing a wool suit......HA! HA! LOL! :D
48
posted on
07/31/2005 6:54:57 PM PDT
by
skinkinthegrass
(Just because you're paranoid, doesn't mean they aren't out to get you :^)
To: rockabyebaby
OOOOOPs, read it wrong, can we test this caterpillar to see how long it would take to eat a lib/dem? LMAO!
49
posted on
07/31/2005 6:55:04 PM PDT
by
rockabyebaby
(What do you like best about your life?)
To: furball4paws; Baynative
But does it eat slugs? If so I want to start a small farm and raise these. They will sell GREAT here in the PNW.
50
posted on
07/31/2005 6:56:04 PM PDT
by
MarMema
To: ZOTnot
Ah you beat me to the idea....but then there is certainly room for both of us in the industry.
How shall we begin to make our fortune?
51
posted on
07/31/2005 6:57:08 PM PDT
by
MarMema
To: furball4paws
Can we breed those caterpillars to devour lower life forms...like Democrats?
52
posted on
07/31/2005 6:58:40 PM PDT
by
Prime Choice
(Thanks to the Leftists, yesterday's deviants are today's "alternate lifestyles.")
To: gitmo; Sober 4 Today
ROFL!!! Your number 15 made me laugh and laugh.
I also would like to be added to this list.
53
posted on
07/31/2005 6:59:19 PM PDT
by
MarMema
To: Dallas59
I thought it was another Rachel Corrie post.Wrong caterpillar...
54
posted on
07/31/2005 7:00:55 PM PDT
by
MarMema
To: Ichneumon
I can't see how eliminating competition among your own would lead to being a predator on a different species. I think that most interesting is if there is some method to where the moth lays its eggs, say to increase the chances of finding a snail (doesn't say if any old snail will do or if only certain kinds are prey). As you know ichneumons lay their eggs directly in(on) their prey. That certainly means that some will be successful. Perhaps the reason is in the lack of insect predators in Hawaii, so they can be slow and allow for many "misses" and still be a successful species.
55
posted on
07/31/2005 7:03:48 PM PDT
by
furball4paws
(One of the last Evil Geniuses, or the first of their return.)
To: brbethke
Could be Battra.
![](http://chibigojitoy.hypermart.net/items/tvBattra.jpg)
56
posted on
07/31/2005 7:05:02 PM PDT
by
RandallFlagg
(Roll your own cigarettes! You'll save $$$ and smoke less!(Magnetic bumper stickers-click my name)
To: MarMema
I like your ABOUT page. Very nice.
57
posted on
07/31/2005 7:05:02 PM PDT
by
gitmo
(Thanks, Mel. I needed that.)
To: gitmo
Ah yes, I was in Tbilisi a week after our President and loved it every bit as much as he apparently did.
So now I keep pics there to remind me that I can go back next year again.
58
posted on
07/31/2005 7:08:29 PM PDT
by
MarMema
To: gitmo
Your dog is simply elegant, btw. Just asking for a kiss, I can tell.
59
posted on
07/31/2005 7:10:32 PM PDT
by
MarMema
To: MarMema
On my street alone, I could become a millionaire. I just have to figure out how to eliminate the environmental danger of spreading Sevin on plants, balanced with the aggravation of buying slug pellets, balanced with the aggravation of spreading ash around the garden which blows away in an instant. And, I haven't tried the copper remedy yet, but it sounds expensive.
Must be something out there we haven't thought of yet, like this novel caterpillar which would do the work for us!
I have avoided this year, for the first time, planting any dahlias or un-established hostas in the flower gardens. The slugs WON after all these years....
60
posted on
07/31/2005 7:18:12 PM PDT
by
ZOTnot
('We're going to take things away from you on behalf of the common good'--Hillary, 6/28/2004.)
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