Nasty little creatures... Weapons of mother nature!

I came across with a stunning article reporting an epidemics of lethal cases of Caterpillar attacks in Southern Brazil, whose peak was between 1989 and 2002, due several environmental imbalance caused by deforestation and urban sprawl. It guessed it very important 'cos I know that many people don't know, but one these Caterpillar species has a poison stronger than rattlesnakes. This specific one, the Lonomia obliqua, aka "Killer-caterpillar", of family Saturnidae, was responsible by 1.800 accidents in that period, with 6 registered deaths.

[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/569443116fd8.jpg[/atsimg]
[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/8b3d3e598a4f.jpg[/atsimg]

In contact with human skin, the poison of Lonomia obliqua cause a change in blood coagulation called hemorrhagic syndrome. The consequences are bleeding, dark spots and the bleeding in gums, nose, intestines, urine and even wounds have healed. Without medical attention, the victim can die from cerebral hemorrhage or acute renal failure. The poison is considered more potent than that of Bothrops, the group of pit vipers, responsible for more than 90% of accidents with snakes in Brazil.

The genus Lonomia is neotropical and occurs from Mexico to Argentina. One of Brazilian specialists in this kind of caterpillar is Roberto Henrique Pinto Moraes, of the Laboratory of Parasitology/Entomology of the Butantan Institut. He was part of the team of scientists who investigated the case for Lonomia in 1994, developing the "antilonomic serum", made from its own poison. It's unique in the world, produced only in Brazil and contains antibodies against the toxins of this caterpillar and since its production, have not been more reported cases of death.
Some species live in groups of 70 to 80 individuals, as the Lonomia obliqua. With deforestation, many species got close to urban areas and "invade" backyards, gardens and orchards, most often in the south-american summer, between November and March. A good part of caterpillar species can camouflage, merging with the environment, thanks to stunning patterns of colors and textures - in an attempt to go unnoticed. The camouflage is a defense against natural predators. There are caterpillars that mimic snakes, with "fake eyes", imitating dangerous or other toxic animals, is called mimicry.
Despite the fact these animals have no aggressive behavior, the most dangerous species, to humans and natural predators, are the "hairy" kind with great urticating bristles and the more colorful have the most violent toxin.

[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/0e922fedc3c6.jpg[/atsimg]
[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/09f8beb30a29.jpg[/atsimg]
[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/dd32ae5ea118.jpg[/atsimg]
[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/d6beca5ae8b9.jpg[/atsimg]
[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/39ae59209631.jpg[/atsimg]
[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/feb2952532d8.jpg[/atsimg]
[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/acfe819c6376.jpg[/atsimg]

The "naked" kind doesn't has bristle-shaped hairs and doesn't inject the toxin within the skin, but has large bulbs that release it on the surface, after contact.

[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/60a49ca7506e.jpg[/atsimg]
[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/678232b67d18.jpg[/atsimg]
[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/76ba80a4804d.jpg[/atsimg]

Bellow, two accidents with caterpillars. In the second case that people got contact with a group of various individuous.

[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/f77d65a596aa.jpg[/atsimg]
[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/b119bbe14de4.jpg[/atsimg]

My point here is to call attention to the Gaia Theory, that alleges that Earth is a conscious living organism and may produce its own self-defense mechanisms to save itself from the action of destructive parasites (us). Notice that these insects do exist since millions of years but there's no registers about species with toxins strong enough to kill a person. In the last 20 years, nature suddenly produced this specie... A thing that makes me go hmmmmmmm....

Extracted from the 2006 biodiversity reporting award, by World Environment Organization (in portuguese)

Keeping in line with the gia hypothesis OP,

If I were gia id and having problems with my parasitic humans start with a treatment of some earthquakes in the major cities and some flu viruses or plauges for the overpopulated areas, a tsunami or two ought to keep things in check for a while. Some hurricanes and cyclones for the inland areas. I was thinking at first why would gia want to get the people in the amazon, then it hit me, the loggers! The ones trying to take out the lungs of the planet would defs have to go.

But im not gia, and I think it folly to try guess her actions. What I do feel though is that she would suffer as much as possible to try keep us here up untill the point it gets too much. Humans have the potential to be of great aid to her, and im sure she knows most of us love her and are trying to protect the environment, you never know maybe shes got a trick up her sleeve to selectively get rid of the touble makers.

reply to post by polarwarrior

If I were gia id and having problems with my parasitic humans start with a treatment of some earthquakes in the major cities and some flu viruses or plauges for the overpopulated areas, a tsunami or two ought to keep things in check for a while. Some hurricanes and cyclones for the inland areas.

I meant that nobody expects a small fancy colored caterpillar, being a self-defense environmental weapon of nature... We tend to see it happening just in major cataclysmic events...

reply to post by ucalien


Our bodies do the same thing. Holographic universe came to mind when I read this.

I wonder what Gia would do if we cut down most of the trees in the world, maybe kill most of the humans? It would be a balance that led to re-stabilization.

reply to post by ucalien


yeah I see what you mean, but if the earth is intelligent the methods would be hard to guess. There would probably be an vast array of ways to fix the parasite. Cataclysmic event would risk taking out too many innocent species so we may be seeing a selective approach at play.

reply to post by polarwarrior

Cataclysmic event would risk taking out too many innocent species so we may be seeing a selective approach at play.

According to ancient Hindu Vedic scriptures and also Gnostic texts, Earth and any other inhabitable cosmic body, passe through seven stages, from ethereal density to mass density. Each stage produces its own human(oid) races with their respective subraces (with NO racist connotation, just referring to different ethnic groups derived from a ROOT RACE). During each stage these human(oid) races have a specific amount of time to develop and reach a higher level. Course that in many cases they fail and reach lower levels of existence. Each stage is divided in 4 ERAS aka "YUGAS". Check this table:

360 mortal days: 1 mortal year
The Krita Yuga: 1.728.00 years
The Tetrâ Yuga: 1.296.000 years
O Dvâpara Yuga: 864.000 years
O Kali Yuga: 432.000 years
The sum of these 4 Yugas makes a Mahâ Yuga, with 4.320.000 years.

That's the amout of time that each race and their civilizations, have to develop or not. To the end of this cycle of 7 stages of 4 eras each one, is completed a "planetary round" and Gaia simply can prepare itself to ANOTHER round with ANOTHER stages and ANOTHER races. It's just weird huh??? Course it's a metaphysical approaching with no scientific evidence (found so far), but it's just interesting that the Egyptian Dendera calendar, the Vedic calendar and the Mayan calendar, are just identical in report these planetary rounds.

Personally I think they are cute. Also, I wouldn't be surprised if Earth/nature decided to balance the equation.

People forget that the earth is one system and that everything effects everything else, in one way or another.

Great post.

Do you belive this is the end of third density life on earth, the coming transistion being that the earth itself goes from third to fourth so those repeating third need go to another earth in this ones image. And in fourth density earth, third density is not possible only first, second and fourth the reason having something to do with being new to fourth cannot hide themselves from third yet. If so then why would gia need bother getting rid of us? we wont be here long anyway...

A reason might be that the nature of the earth reflects our thought forms. If we create a storm of dark negative enrgy, then so we shall recieve from the earth violent wheather and disruptions. If we think destruction of species, then naturally the species become more destuctive to us etc. etc. Of course the opposite would hold true if we collectively love all species and the earth itself then a peacefull loving home to live is what we recieve.

Those are some very nice pictures, I especially like the one near the bottom that is black/red with no hairs. I wouldn't be suprised if more killer bugs are discovered as we continue to cut down forests and build more urban areas.

Maybe we should name these "Killerpillars"

reply to post by Elentarri

Personally I think they are cute. Also, I wouldn't be surprised if Earth/nature decided to balance the equation.

It's amazing that these bugs have the most fragile bodies you can find and they are capable to cause so much pain... Here in Brazil, there's a specie nicknamed "Bull-caterpillar" and you can image why... But I think they were extincted... I don't think you will keep guessing them "cute" after one of them fall from the trees in your neck.

Interesting post. I heartily agree that nature may mutate and create new animal defenses through evolution in very fast stages, perhaps just a few generations. We know evolution to be fact, but we rarely think it can happen quickly, which I believe it does.
Having been stung by caterpillars before I can attest to the extreme pain of their sting, it's the only insect sting that kept getting worse and worse. After just 10 minutes I thought I would faint, it was like the scene from Dune where the Bene Geseret witch puts Paul Atreides hand into the black box. In other words, be careful when you cut brush, WEAR GLOVES!

reply to post by Asktheanimals

I guess I'm lucky with these animals, 'cos I spent a good time walking in forests and I never was stung by Caterpillars. When I was a kid I saw something unbelievable, a caterpillar being melted by the sun, in one very hot tropical summer. Its body was just leaking.

I've been trying to figure out what these turn into, so far I've found just Lonomia obliqua who's deadly caterpillar turns into this.



If I identify more of them I'll post as I find them.

---------------------

Lonomia electra



Lonomia Saturniidae



[edit on 8-4-2010 by DaMod]

Man, this is a cool thread.
How bizarre looking are these creatures?!
I love these psycho caterpillars, mind you, one of them - I think that's how I look when I wake up in the morning! =-D Hahaha!

Great pictures, it's amazing what kind of danger these little insects posses but I think you guys have been watching Avatar a little too much. As much as you would like to think, Earth is not a living creature, although it does have living creatures upon it.

Do killer caterpillars turn into killer moths? Just wondering.


Mod edit to remove unrelated image

[edit on 27-5-2010 by dbates]