Environmental Graffiti

15 Caterpillars That Should Just Get a Freakin’ Haircut

OK, we’re not going to bore you with every last entomological detail about these hairy critters. You all know the story: caterpillar becomes cocoon; cocoon becomes moth; moth lays eggs; eggs hatch into caterpillars. Yes, caterpillars. And hairy ones. The hairiest. The kind you'd ask if you can see their barber – so you can go and punch him in the chops. Bad hair days abound among this lot, though some may beg to differ and see some pretty raging styles on display.

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Enter the Dragonfly [PICS]

With those kempt whiskers and that smile – not to mention those baby blue eyes – the dragonfly seems to be asking sweetly to be anthropomorphised. Still, putting the “Gillette, the best a man can get” jests to one side for the moment, there does seem to be something extra-specially human about the dragonfly.

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5 Most Horrific Parasitic Worms [With Gruesome Pictures]

Loathed wherever they go, parasitic worms are some of the animal kingdom's true lowlifes. They feed off living hosts, sapping them of energy and nutrients and causing a range of horrible diseases. After worming their way into people's lives, particularly in developing countries, these suckers can lie undetected for months or even years. They just take, take, take, and when they reveal themselves, gracious me are they hideous creatures to lay your eyes on.

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Nature’s Chemical Invisibility Cloak

To give you an idea of how the cuckoo wasp operates, imagine a ninja secretly penetrating a samurai’s castle and causing complete carnage without ever being seen. The brilliant metallic colouring shouldn’t deflect from what a highly specialised parasitic critter this is. In point of fact, the cuckoo wasp has a distinctly subtle way of avoiding detection, which owes less to the way it looks than the way it smells.

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