Buzz
It’s easy to forget at times, but the natural world is filled with awe-inspiring wonders. With over a million different insect species known to exist, accounting for more than half of the Earth’s living creatures, it’s no surprise that some are truly bizarre. In fact, some are so strange that you might wish you hadn’t learned about them. But unfortunately, this is Mytour, where we embrace the oddities. Here are ten insects that are even more bizarre than anything science fiction could invent.
10. Puss Moth Caterpillar
Caterpillars, with their soft bodies and high protein content, are often highly vulnerable. To protect themselves from predators, they typically use defense mechanisms such as startling colors or mimicry—pretending to be more dangerous insects. The Puss Moth caterpillar takes the mimicry approach, creating a strange 'face' that resembles a vertebrate's face, intimidating enough to send most predators fleeing.
The caterpillars are a striking shade of green, often adorned with a row of white spots along either side of their bodies. Their head features a pair of black 'eye spots,' positioned above a gaping 'mouth' through which the caterpillar’s true head emerges. The visual effect is shocking, but it becomes even more unsettling when the caterpillar moves: if touched anywhere on its body, it immediately swivels its 'face' toward the intruder. Touch it in a different spot, and the head follows you, like a demonic version of the Mona Lisa.
And if that doesn’t deter the threat, the caterpillar has another defense: it can eject a mist of formic acid from the two horns on its back.
9. Devil’s Flower Mantis Idolomantis Diabolica
Among the largest species of praying mantis, the Devil’s Flower Mantis stands out as one of the most bizarre. This is no small feat, considering how strange praying mantises can be. Females of this species can grow up to 5 inches (13 cm) long, and they’ve developed a remarkable range of natural coloring that allows them to mimic the Devil’s Flower, a particular type of orchid.
Mantids are skilled predators, often remaining perfectly still until their prey gets close enough. Then, with incredible speed, they extend their forearms to snatch flies, beetles, and in some cases, even birds. The Devil’s Flower Mantis, however, takes a different approach: it uses color patterns resembling a flower to attract its prey right into its grasp.
8. Brazilian Treehopper
The image shown here is a model created by Alfred Keller, a German sculptor, in the 1950s. But don’t let the fact that it's just a model fool you—the Brazilian Treehopper is very much a real insect, and surprisingly, it’s not even the most bizarre-looking member of the treehopper family.
Similar to cicadas, treehoppers can be considered the Addams Family of the insect kingdom. Many of them sport strange structures on their backs, and the purpose of most of these remains a mystery. In the case of the Brazilian Treehopper, its ball-like appendages are made of hollow chitin, and are likely designed to make it more difficult for predators to consume.
7. Dasychira Pudibunda Caterpillar
Also known as the Pale Tussock, the Dasychira Pudibunda is a moth species native to Denmark. Its vibrant yellow caterpillars are adorned with patches of spiky hair resembling porcupine quills. Down the middle of their back is another line of hair tufts, one for each body segment, with a large black or brown spine at the rear.
From a distance, the caterpillar may appear to be a sponge, but up close, its double row of mandibles make it far less endearing. Occasionally, the Pale Tussock populations surge, creating a thick carpet of these caterpillars covering trees. In 1988, a swarm of Pale Tussocks wiped out 20 hectares of beech forest in Denmark.
6. Extatosoma Tiaratum
Anyone familiar with Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom will immediately recognize this terrifying creature, commonly known as the Giant Prickly Stick Insect. As the largest known stick insect, the Extatosoma tiaratum can grow up to 8 inches (20 cm) long and is typically covered in large, thorny spikes that serve as both camouflage and protective armor.
This insect usually tries to blend in with its environment, but when it feels threatened, it stands on its hind legs and spreads its front legs out, resembling a scorpion. It also releases a chemical to frighten off predators, which, to humans, smells like peanut butter.
5. Pipevine Swallowtail Caterpillar
The Pipevine Swallowtail is a stunning fluorescent blue butterfly commonly found in North and Central America. Its larvae, however, take the form of an armored, blood-red caterpillar, with tinted visor-like eyes and a series of blunt horns running along its body.
These caterpillars begin by living in groups during their younger stages, but as they mature, they start to wander off individually before entering the chrysalis phase. As they grow, they change color from red to black, with their horns turning a bright orange. These vivid colors serve as a warning—Pipevine Swallowtail caterpillars primarily feed on the poisonous Pipevine plant and store the toxins in their bodies.
4. Atlas Moth
Usually, it's the caterpillar of a moth that looks the most bizarre, with the adult moth being dull and unimpressive. However, the Atlas moth breaks this rule. With a wingspan of up to 10 inches (25 cm), Atlas moths are considered the largest moth species on Earth. They also have a fascinating feature—the tips of their front wings closely resemble the head of a snake ready to strike.
Atlas moths, often called the Cobra moth due to their appearance, are found in Southeast Asia, where they are cultivated for their silk.
3. Scorpionfly
While this insect may appear to be the result of a strange genetic experiment combining a scorpion's stinger with a wasp's body, that 'stinger' is actually something far less dangerous: the fly's genitals.
Nonetheless, it remains a peculiar creature. Scorpionflies, or Mecoptera, are found around the globe and have been in existence since the Mesozoic era. They are thought to be the ancestors of most modern moths and butterflies, all of which belong to the Lepidoptera order.
2. Spiny Flower Mantis Pseudocreobotra wahlbergi
The Spiny Flower Mantis (Pseudocreobotra wahlbergi) is yet another fascinating mantis, its strange decorations inspired by the appearance of a flower. Measuring just 1.5 inches (38 mm), it is found in specific areas of Southern Africa.
As with most mantids, the Spiny Flower Mantis is an aggressive cannibal, and as it matures, it becomes more likely to feast on other mantids it encounters. An interesting fact is that the female's egg sac can be almost three times larger than her own body.
1. Tailed Emperor Butterfly Caterpillar
If you find yourself on the east coast of Australia in March or April, you might encounter one of these peculiar creatures. The Tailed Emperor butterfly caterpillar seems fairly ordinary from the neck down, but its head is truly out of this world.
From its broad, armored forehead sprout four strange horns that look more at home on a dinosaur than on any modern-day insect. These butterflies lay their eggs in clusters, typically on Illawarra Flame trees, and the bizarre caterpillars emerge in late March.
+ Calleta Silkmoth Caterpillar
If Jackson Pollock and God collaborated on a design, the result might look something like the Eupackardia calleta larva, better known as the Calleta silkmoth caterpillar. With a wide spectrum of colors and intimidating barbs, this caterpillar is a creature most predators instinctively avoid.
Found in the Southern United States, the moth’s caterpillar undergoes color changes depending on age and environmental conditions. Its primary diet consists of the Mexican jumping bean, a plant found across Mexico, Texas, and Arizona.
