Don't Squish This Bug If You See It, Here's Why

Bright Side

The Brazilian treehopper is one strange-looking bug with antenna-like spiky balls on its head—but don’t squish it! Scientists believe those odd spikes might help it scare off predators or even detect its surroundings, making it a fascinating creature to study. There are plenty of other bugs you shouldn’t touch either, like assassin bugs, which can carry diseases, or brightly colored caterpillars, some of which can sting with venomous hairs. Even harmless-looking ladybugs can release a stinky liquid when threatened. Bugs often have unique roles in ecosystems, like pollinating plants or controlling pests, so it’s best to leave them be. Instead of squishing, let these little critters go about their weird and wonderful lives! 🐛🕷️  Credit: Southernms / Reddit ricoimf / Reddit CC BY 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0: model of a Ball-bearing Treehopper: By Anagoria, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=25061586 Naturkundemuseum Berlin bocydium globulare: By Anagoria, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=25061586 CC BY 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0: Drosera Tentacles: By incidencematrix - https://flic.kr/p/jHonkM, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=64108097 Drosera Tentacles 2: By incidencematrix - https://flic.kr/p/jHqx2f, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=64108104 Velella velella: By Tim Buss - https://flic.kr/p/oPjYRt, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=130536252 CC BY-SA 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/: Bocydium globulare: By Giancarlo Dessì, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bocydium_globulare.xcf Crinoid on the reef: By Alexander Vasenin, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=24925765 CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0: Museu Nacional: By Takemasa nakamura, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=78538815 Barbed wire siphonophore: By Peter Southwood, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=105987369 Eptatretus hexatrema: By Peter Southwood - https://www.inaturalist.org/photos/15727711, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=119933124 Eptatretus hexatrema 2: By Peter Southwood - https://www.inaturalist.org/photos/15727732, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=119933217 Nyctibius grandis: By Allissondias, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=69508043 CC BY-SA 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0: Globe-bearing Treehopper: By Pavel Kirillov - https://flic.kr/p/ogxfLT, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=46852024 Bocydium globulare: By Pavel Kirillov - https://flic.kr/p/oxZoPy, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=46852023 Siphonophore: By Bernard DUPONT - https://flic.kr/p/dVA1Uq, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=40734741 Sixgill Hagfish: By Bernard DUPONT, https://flic.kr/p/2ogzGhq CC BY-SA 2.5 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.5: Hagfish Slime Predator Deterrence: By Vincent Zintzen, Clive D. Roberts, Marti J. Anderson, Andrew L. Stewart, Carl D. Struthers & Euan S. Harvey, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=29715886 Animation is created by Bright Side.  #brightside   ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Music from TheSoul Sound: https://thesoul-sound.com/   Listen to Bright Side on:  Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/0hUkPxD34jRLrMrJux4VxV Apple Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/idhttps-podcasts-apple-com-podcast-bright-side/id1554898078 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Our Social Media: Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/brightside/ Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/brightside.official/ Tik Tok - https://www.tiktok.com/@brightside.official?lang=en Snapchat - https://www.snapchat.com/p/c6a1e38a-bff1-4a40-9731-2c8234ccb19f/1866144599336960  Stock materials (photos, footages and other):  https://www.depositphotos.com  https://www.shutterstock.com  https://www.eastnews.ru  ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- For more videos and articles visit: http://www.brightside.me

Transcript

00:00Hollywood studios and game developers hire professional artists to create fantastic monsters

00:06and creatures from other planets.

00:09The things they paint on computers are stunning and frightening, but all these works pale

00:14compared to the art of the most powerful artist in the world.

00:19And this artist is nature.

00:22We're not talking about the beauty of animals and fish, but about animals whose existence

00:27is hard to believe.

00:29It seems they are literally guests from another planet here.

00:33One of these guests is the Brazilian treehopper, which you see now is a real creature living

00:39in the forests of Brazil.

00:41This insect belongs to the family of cicadas, some of the most mysterious creatures on Earth.

00:46But this species stands out strongly even among them.

00:50The size of a pea, the Brazilian treehopper has grown futuristic creepy balls on its back,

00:56similar to helicopter blades.

00:58Is that an antenna or something for fighting with enemies?

01:03Scientists still don't know.

01:04There are only hypothetical versions.

01:07According to one of them, the insect uses this thing to demonstrate its genetic strength

01:12in front of females.

01:15Peacocks use their beautiful tails similarly.

01:17In addition to scaring off predators, they show off their plumage and propose their candidacy

01:22for starting a family.

01:24This theory was quickly refuted because not only males, but also females of the Brazilian

01:30treehopper have this thing.

01:32Maybe these balls are like a false target.

01:35Some predator sees them and attacks them, and at that moment, the insect unhooks this

01:40thing and runs away.

01:42However, researchers have never seen such actions while observing the treehopper.

01:47Another theory says that this thing helps the cicada pretend to be a cordyceps fungus.

01:53Remember the parasites that invade an ant's body, turn it into a zombie, and then a huge

01:57mushroom sprouts from out of their bodies?

02:01Some believe the Brazilian treehopper imitates this fungus so that enemies are afraid to

02:06attack it.

02:07Yes, animals in the forest also know what can be touched and what is better off not

02:13to mess with.

02:15Or this hat may send signals to outer space or another planet, reporting information about

02:20Earth.

02:22Another fantastic feature of the Brazilian treehopper is its way of communicating.

02:27These insects talk to each other through vibrations.

02:30When one treehopper sits on a tree and feeds on juicy leaves, it can send vibrating signals

02:36along the trunk and, thus, invite its friends to have a snack.

02:40Or it uses this ability to warn about predators.

02:45In general, cicadas are pretty strange creatures.

02:48Those species that look like ordinary insects are still a mystery to all scientists.

02:53When cicadas hatch from eggs, they hide underground, feeding on liquid from the roots of trees

02:59and plants while growing.

03:01They build underground tunnels and hang out there for 13 or 17 years.

03:08And then, after molting, they come out all at the same time – several hundred or even

03:13thousands of insects at once.

03:15They fly into the air in a huge swarm, chirping loudly and terrifying all the animals around.

03:22People living nearby claim that the clicks of cicadas prevent them from sleeping.

03:27But why do cicadas come out only once every 13 to 17 years?

03:32What are they doing underground all this time?

03:35Scientists have no idea.

03:37Their sudden appearance may be associated with predatory animals.

03:42Cicadas are defenseless and nutritious creatures.

03:45Foxes and owls like to eat them.

03:48If cicadas got out of the ground once a year, predators would get used to it and soon destroy

03:53these creatures.

03:54Therefore, cicadas wait for a long enough time so that their enemies don't know when

04:00they will appear.

04:01In addition, insects choose the moment to show up when the populations of their enemies

04:06are at their lowest.

04:10After meeting this creature, you probably won't look at strawberries like before.

04:15So imagine a strawberry of white color from which 20 long tentacles spread out.

04:20It's as if a Lovecraft monster has opened a portal to our dimension inside a strawberry

04:26and is now trying to break out.

04:28The good news is that you are unlikely to see this monster near humans.

04:32The Antarctic strawberry feather lives in the icy depths of the Antarctic Ocean.

04:38These creatures are one of four types of crinoids – geometrically symmetrical animals

04:43that attach themselves to the seabed like a plant stem.

04:47Then when they reach adulthood, they unhook themselves and set sail on the ocean.

04:52They use their tentacles to make beautiful rhythmic movements while swimming.

04:56And they also hung plankton using their hands.

05:00Each tentacle of the strawberry is covered with thousands of tiny slimy threads that

05:05capture prey like a spider web.

05:08In addition to white species, scientists have observed purple and even dark red creatures.

05:14Looking at them, you start to suspect that many artists have stolen the image of crinoids

05:18to create monsters in their sci-fi movies and video games.

05:24What do you think is the longest animal on the planet?

05:28This is not a giraffe or even some giant anaconda from the Amazon jungle.

05:33See this glowing long whip floating in the ocean?

05:36This is it.

05:37This creature is called a siphonophore.

05:40Its length can reach up to 130 feet – more than the size of a blue whale, the largest

05:45mammal on the planet.

05:47But if you look closer, you'll see it's not some sea snake.

05:51It resembles a long jellyfish with a transparent body and a light bulb head.

05:57Along its entire length, creepy threads stretch from the siphonophore.

06:02It looks like a mutant centipede from the depths of the sea.

06:05In any case, don't approach it.

06:07Its hairs are venomous – it uses them to fight off enemies and to capture prey.

06:13Disgusting and at the same time charming – like me – the hagfish uses thick, sticky slime

06:20to defend itself from predators.

06:24This slug is actually a species of jawless fish.

06:27You may have seen this creature in social networks when people put it on their hands.

06:32When it senses danger, it spits out mucus resembling tree roots or a nervous system.

06:37The goo gets into the eyes and gills of enemies and stops them while the hagfish swims away.

06:45These animals are also among the most ancient creatures on the planet.

06:48They appeared about 500 million years ago and have been leading a scavenger lifestyle

06:53ever since.

06:56Even if you look at this tree for a few minutes, you may not understand what is wrong with

07:01it.

07:02One of the branches is a live great potoo bird that has mastered the skill of disguise

07:07better than anyone.

07:09Not only does its plumage allow it to merge with the environment, but it's also very

07:14patient and enduring.

07:17The great potoo can stand motionless for hours, waiting for its prey.

07:21It even closes its eyes to be more inconspicuous.

07:25But that doesn't mean it doesn't see you.

07:27The bird has tiny holes under the eyelids that allow it to closely monitor the situation

07:33around it.

07:36Scientists spend millions of dollars to create expensive equipment to study seismological

07:40activity.

07:42But this mole that lives in swamps can detect seismic vibrations thanks to its strange nose.

07:48The star-nosed mole has more than 20,000 sensory receptors on its star that can also catch

07:55electrical signals emitted by its prey.

07:58It's one of those rare animals that can smell underwater.

08:02It releases tiny bubbles from its nose, then pulls them back in to understand the smell.

08:09And it's also a fast eater that spends less than a quarter of a second to swallow food.

08:17Piranhas look creepy with their jaws and razor-sharp teeth.

08:20But how about a fish that has rectangular human-like teeth?

08:24Meet the Paku fish, and it seems it has a false jaw.

08:28These creepy creatures eat plants and meat, but their favorite dish is fruits and nuts.

08:34Evolution has created such a shape of teeth so that Paku can grind fruits that fall from

08:39the trees growing along the Amazon streams.

08:43Many people confuse these creatures with piranhas and try to stay away from them.

08:48And this is the right decision, because these rectangular teeth can cause severe damage

08:53to non-food items, like you and me, too.

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