Don't underestimate caterpillars, and don't take caterpillars seriously, when caterpillars can easily become predators' delicacies, turning themselves into snakes is a convenient option. Its camouflage skills are called the Animal Kingdom 007. This image shows a moth caterpillar disguised as a snake, and when threatened, it will shrink its legs and head into its body, inflating its back to make it look like a snake. The head of this snake is actually the tail of a caterpillar.
The snake-like moth caterpillar is not the only caterpillar that has gradually developed some unique techniques to evade enemy predation. For example, the swallowtail caterpillar, which controls a pair of huge eye spots on its body, makes it look fierce, causing some opportunistic predators to think twice.
Elephant moth caterpillar disguised as a snake.
As shown in this figure, some caterpillars grow long, toxin-filled hairs, body spines, and other ornaments.
The tumour moth caterpillar has a swollen green belly that can hide its head. It can be disguised as unripe berries to deter predation by birds.
When disturbed, the Silver Tenzo Moth larvae swells its upper body disguised as a huge red head and fake black eyes. Fork-like tentacles at the tail end of the abdomen extend to its back, and thin red tubes protrude from the top to give a pungent smell. If that's not enough to pose a threat, it will spray acid into the enemy.
It's not just predators that caterpillars have to defend against, light moth caterpillars in the Arctic must also resist sub-zero temperatures. To keep out the cold, the caterpillar produces antifreeze proteins to prevent cells from being completely frozen, and it wraps long hairs all over its body to minimize heat loss.
The feet of the great silkworm moth caterpillar have spines to ward off danger.
Coarse-haired moth caterpillars spread their bodies to disguise themselves.
A spiny caterpillar hovers over the leaf, disguised as a thorny rose.
The flannate caterpillar resembles a wilted grass spike.
A corn silkworm moth clings to a leaf stem and grows spines to ward off danger.
A swallow-tailed butterfly caterpillar hovers over the green leaves.
Caterpillars of the family Butterfly are wrapped in slender white silk to escape danger.
A white-spotted poison moth larvae grows long spines to defend itself.
A thorny moth caterpillar spreads out into green leaves to protect itself.
A moth caterpillar has a face similar to a horn.
The giant butterfly caterpillar stretches out its antennae with a sense of smell
A zebra butterfly caterpillar crawls among the branches.
A walnut caterpillar grows slender white silk clinging to a stem.
A moth silkworm caterpillar grows small black and white spines to ward off external dangers.