Without Scars, Without Pain: A Sacrifice Created Without Bloodshed
The strange and varied feeding methods of animals are far more bizarre than simply putting food into their mouths. Especially in the insect world, the diverse mouthparts of different insects are dazzling, and their feeding methods are also different. In carnivorous larvae, a feeding method of a fly larva called a 'white worm' is particularly interesting.
no bloodshed
The fly larvae do not fly, it is like a 'big white worm', it is naked, soft, smooth, and hairless. Its body is milky white and formed into neat rings, and it bends when it's stationary. When disturbed, it almost becomes straight. Even its head is no bigger than a needle. The fly larvae's most interesting point is its feeding method. In animal terms, the feeding habits of carnivorous animals are full of blood and gore, but the fly larvae's feeding method is unique and even you cannot see any wounds on the victim, which is truly amazing. If we observe carefully, we can find that the fly larvae calmly runs around the target, and the target has no scars.
(fly larvae)
cruel sucking
Like the larva of the slender-waisted bee, it will drill a hole in the caterpillar it eats, and then insert its head and neck deeply. This greedy little thing doesn't take a break, and it keeps drilling, swallowing, digesting, and excreting until the caterpillar is just a shell. If someone pulls it open, it will hesitate for a moment, and then it will continue to look for the place it just ate. The fly larvae and this insect's feeding method are similar. However, it doesn't have the former's splitting action, nor does it stubbornly seek the old wound. If you use a brush to touch it, it will immediately evade, but the victim will not show any wounds or skin breakage. Soon, the larvae will extend its powdery head to the food and move it without effort. The fly's use of sucking to obtain food is related to its unique mouth. The shape of its mouth is like a small, conical funnel, with yellow-red edges, and has a faint line around it. Underneath the funnel is the throat. There are no gills or jaws, and it cannot chew, so it cannot chew. Its mouth is like a cup. Its attack is a 'kiss'
(fly adult)
The nightmare of bees
Because the fly larvae adopts this special predation method, its prey mainly focuses on worms, bee larvae become its main targets. For bees, the fly larvae is an unwelcome guest. These larvae put their mouths on any part of the bee larvae's body. If anything disturbs it, it will stop 'kissing' immediately, and if it wants to, it can easily continue. The plump, glossy, and healthy bee larvae will become thin, pale, and wrinkled after three or four days of this strange 'kissing'. Its surroundings shrink, its skin wrinkles, obviously it has diminished. But after a week, the state of atrophy is more severe. It is withered and wrinkled, as if it cannot even support its own weight. If the fly continues its 'kissing', it will suck it dry, and soon it will become a deflated balloon, slowly shrinking.
In general, within a period of 12 to 15 days, what remains of the bee larvae is just a white spot, barely smaller than a needle. If this small residue is placed in water to soften it, and then blown with an extremely thin glass tube, it will expand back to its original shape, and you cannot find any pores. This proves that the bee larvae is sucked out from the skin without any wounds, and there is no breath or nervous system sucked out, so it will not cause fatal harm to these larvae. Because these larvae's tissue system and nervous system are not injured, their lives can still continue.
(bee larvae)
Why does the victim not resist?
Other insect larvae will not face the slaughter and calmly deal with it. Some larvae are very sensitive, and if the victim feels someone 'kissing' it, it will resist with body movement and mandibles. Then the attacker will be destroyed. Why doesn't this happen? Because the fly larvae's attack time is very intelligent, it waits until the insect larvae has closed in its silken cocoon before attacking. At this time, the larvae is about to become an adult, and it's time for it to come. At this time, the victim has almost no resistance, and the fly larvae can 'chronically kill' it, and it can hardly notice any pain.
Many insect larvae become the victims of fly larvae until the end. If the insect larvae turns brown and rotten within 24 hours, it has really died. In fact, the food remains unchanged and hasn't rotten after two weeks. This indicates that the life of the insect larvae can continue until it's completely diminished. But if you make a wound on the victim's body, its whole body will turn brown and rotten, which is a chronic death process, and the victim can hardly feel any pain.
The fly larvae eats carefully, it takes food from various insect larvae without any wounds, except for the liquid it takes away, and does not have other equipment like gills or nervous system to be sucked out, so it will not cause fatal harm to these larvae. Because these larvae's tissue system and nervous system are not injured, their lives can still continue.
(bee larvae)
The fly larvae's unique feeding method has been inherited for millions of years. It does not have strong teeth and a fully armed body, but by using this ingenious feeding method and flexible attack time, it can taste the blood of more powerful enemies. The cunning fly larvae lets the victim slowly die, and doesn't notice any pain.
