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‘Bone collector’ caterpillar wears the body parts of dead bugs

Lauren Leffer

created: April 24, 2025, 6 p.m. | updated: May 4, 2025, 6 p.m.

A Flair for FashionIn their naked state, bone collector caterpillars don’t look particularly impressive. But let a bone collector caterpillar dress itself and it really starts to stand out. A bone collector caterpillar resting on a clump of webbing next to a non-native spitting spider with its egg sac. And none aside from the bone collector are known to cohabitate with spiders or build their cases exclusively from carcasses. Pinned adult female (left) of the bone collector caterpillar and portable case (right) in which the larva resides decorated with body parts from ants, bark beetles, weevils, and flies.

3 months, 1 week ago: Popular Science