Endangered 'Skull' Caterpillar Has Best Halloween Costume

Like us on Facebook:

The current article you are reading does not reflect the views of the current editors and contributors of the new Ecorazzi

Behold! The “skull” caterpillar of the Imperial Fruit Sucking Moth and winner annually of “The Australian Caterpillar Halloween Contest.”

This amazing little creature, an endangered species fighting habitat loss in the Australian rainforest, features a painted skull and eyeballs on its enlarged head to scare away predators and basically anything else.

Much like the Monarch caterpillar, which survives off Milkweed, the Skull caterpillar prefers the vine Carronia multisepalea, a collapsed rainforest shrub, for food and habitat for breedings.

Australian conservationists are now protecting habitat where the caterpillar is found in hopes of protecting and boosting populations. Take a look at an additional amazing photo, courtesy of the Flickr group Plant.Nerd below.