At first glance, this caterpillar looks too cute to be true, like a rubber squeaky toy...
To find out if it was real, I translated the video's description, which led me to Usutabiga (ウスタビガ), the Japanese name for the Saturniid moth, Rhodinia fugax. Found throughout Japan, China and North Korea, this silk moth has the amazing capacity as larvae to produce squeaking noises when disturbed. They can even squeak from inside their cocoons...
According to LiveScience.com,
The eggs of the squeaky silkmoth overwinter and hatch in the spring. Caterpillars feed on oak, walnut, hawthorn, sycamore, birch and rose before spinning a pitcher-plant shaped cocoon. Adults have a 3.5-inch wingspan.
©Tammy Yee
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| Photo by Kirby Wolfe. |
To find out if it was real, I translated the video's description, which led me to Usutabiga (ウスタビガ), the Japanese name for the Saturniid moth, Rhodinia fugax. Found throughout Japan, China and North Korea, this silk moth has the amazing capacity as larvae to produce squeaking noises when disturbed. They can even squeak from inside their cocoons...
According to LiveScience.com,
"Caterpillars apparently can whistle, letting out squeaks that can fend off attacking birds, scientists have now found.Other members of the Saturniid moth family are also known for larvae that produce clicking sounds with their mandibles (jaws) as a warning before secreting stinky chemicals, and some are covered with stinging hairs. (Warning: you should never handle a caterpillar that is covered in spines or hair, because they often contain venom that can cause a painful skin reaction.)
They don't whistle by puckering their lips and blowing, since they don't have lips. Instead, they blow out their sides, researchers said.
Scientists have known for more than 100 years that many caterpillars can generate clicking or squeaking noises. However, researchers have only recently begun to experimentally investigate how these noises are made and what roles they might play."
The eggs of the squeaky silkmoth overwinter and hatch in the spring. Caterpillars feed on oak, walnut, hawthorn, sycamore, birch and rose before spinning a pitcher-plant shaped cocoon. Adults have a 3.5-inch wingspan.
©Tammy Yee
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