Lacewing larvae wear corpses to deter birds
Ingenious lacewing larvae camouflage themselves by decorating their bodies with aphid corpses, tricking predatory birds into seeing them as harmless debris.
Lacewing larvae, the young of delicate green lacewings, employ a gruesome yet effective survival strategy: they decorate themselves with the corpses of their prey. These tiny hunters, which primarily feed on soft-bodied insects like aphids, use their sickle-shaped jaws to consume their victims. Afterward, they carefully collect the empty exoskeletons and other debris, attaching them to their backs with silk.
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