Sunday 19 October 2014

Spit Fire Worms!

Ok, today whilst waiting to buy some old cinema benches (more about that later...), we came across some ugly-bugly worms! Gregg yelled out 'don't touch them - they will burn you'! 

They are called spitfire worms, grows up to 80 mm long, and somewhat resemble a caterpillar. They eject a yellowy-green, eucalyptus smelling liquid when disturber. It is a defence mechanism, and the 'yellow spitting' stings if you get hit (so stay back!), hence the name 'spitfire'.

Larvae are highly gregarious and occur in large groups or colonies often containing several hundred individuals clustered together on the branches of eucalypts. Trust me -they are d-i-s-g-u-s-t-i-n-g. But if you don't take my word for it, here is a picture for you...



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