These caterpillars can camouflage themselves, even when blindfolded
Most animals that change colour to adapt to their environment can see what the environment looks like. But the caterpillar of the pepper borer can do it with its eyes closed, according to a new study, and scientists have discovered how.
Researchers raised more than 300 larvae of the pepper moth (Biston betularia) in the laboratory. After the caterpillars had grown a little, scientists placed them in different boxes containing artificial sticks painted black, brown, green and white (photo). Some larvae were blindfolded with black paint.
The blindfolded caterpillars have changed their entire body colour to match the stick on which they were sitting as well as their counterparts, the team reports in Communications Biology. When the researchers placed the caterpillars in boxes containing sticks of different colours, about 80% of the blind and sighted larvae chose to rest on sticks of the same colour as their bodies.
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On closer examination, scientists discovered that the caterpillar caterpillar of the pepperworm activates the genes responsible for vision not only in his head, but also in his skin. Bedbugs have poor eyesight and sit on branches with their heads tilted, so their eyes are not always on the branch. This, with their very slow color change, can make them sitting targets. It is likely that the tracks have developed a colour detection mechanism so double that it gives them a head start on their hunters, the team speculates.
