Did you know that there is an aquatic macroinvertebrate that produces silk much like silk worms or spiders do? But this silk is different... it allows the larvae to build fantastic cases for themselves as protection in the streams, rivers, and lakes they call home.
Check out this caddisfly larva building a case and learn about how it's silk works!
Caddisfly larvae can be anywhere from 3 mm to 40 mm in length (for reference the width of a pinky finger is typically about 10 mm) and, as you saw in the video, they tend to move around by crawling much like a hermit crab. Caddisflies lay their eggs on plant leaves near the water, so that when the larvae hatch, they fall into the water and begin building their cases for protection. This macroinvertebrate has 4 life stages: eggs, larvae, pupa, and adult. In the pupal stage, the caddisfly encloses itself in its protective case underwater (much like a caterpillar would on land) and undergoes its metamorphosis to the adult winged stage.
1 comment:
That is a COOL video, and great post. Thanks Marina!
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