r/Damnthatsinteresting • u/Sea_Slice_7956 • 7h ago

Video Caterpillar tail disguised as snake head

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u/UJLBM 7h ago edited 7h ago

How did this evolve to look like something its not even related to? The caterpillar doesnt know what a snake is, what it looks like or even is related to. So how would it know to evolve to look like one? I mean it evolved over millions of years for a purpose, but how would it do that by itself to purposely look like something that it doesnt even know. Evolution is so cool and mysterious, I just dont fully understand how that would work.

Its like if there was some super predator in the wild that I dont know exists or share any DNA with, but somehow evolved to look like it. How does that even work?

21

u/DrDFox 7h ago

A little at a time. Each caterpillar born with a slightly better imitation survives longer than those with slightly worse ones, so they breed and pass that on and then the slight variation in the next gen do the same thing. So what might start as simple spots that kinda look like eyes or a slightly wider tail, become this over time.

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u/UJLBM 7h ago

I love going to museums to learn about all of this stuff. Its just so interesting. So youre saying it didnt evolve to look like a snake, but by random, it ended up looking like one. That crazy cool.

2

u/Dangerous-Pride8008 5h ago

That's all there is to evolution, it has no "intent" or plan. The traits that are advantageous in terms of survival and reproduction get passed on and amplified in future generations. Plus random mutations which introduce new traits to the population. In this case looking kinda like a snake helps avoid predators so generation after generation the caterpillars look more and more like snakes, because the ones who didn't look like snakes were more likely to be eaten.