We're going to have to agree with io9 and say the Brazilian treehopper is one of the strangest creatures we have ever seen!
From io9: "...Note that the 'balls' on the antenna-like structure
aren't eyes, but simply spheres of chitin. A first guess is that it's a
sexually-selected trait, but those are often limited to males, and these
creatures (and the ones below) show the ornaments in both sexes.
[Art Historian Martin Kemp, an expert on visualization in art and
science] hypothesizes-and this seems quite reasonable-that 'the hollow
globes, like the remarkable excrescences exhibited by other treehoppers,
probably deter predators.' It would be hard to grab, much less chow
down on, a beast with all those spines and excrescences.
Note,
though, that the ornament sports many bristles. If these are sensory
bristles, and not just deterrents to predation or irritating spines,
then the ornament may have an unknown tactile function."
More info: https://bitly.com/XAStoO
Hat tip to The Science Channel
We're going to have to agree with io9 and say the Brazilian treehopper is one of the strangest creatures we have ever seen!
From io9: "...Note that the 'balls' on the antenna-like structure aren't eyes, but simply spheres of chitin. A first guess is that it's a sexually-selected trait, but those are often limited to males, and these creatures (and the ones below) show the ornaments in both sexes. [Art Historian Martin Kemp, an expert on visualization in art and science] hypothesizes-and this seems quite reasonable-that 'the hollow globes, like the remarkable excrescences exhibited by other treehoppers, probably deter predators.' It would be hard to grab, much less chow down on, a beast with all those spines and excrescences.
Note, though, that the ornament sports many bristles. If these are sensory bristles, and not just deterrents to predation or irritating spines, then the ornament may have an unknown tactile function."
More info: https://bitly.com/XAStoO
Hat tip to The Science Channel
From io9: "...Note that the 'balls' on the antenna-like structure aren't eyes, but simply spheres of chitin. A first guess is that it's a sexually-selected trait, but those are often limited to males, and these creatures (and the ones below) show the ornaments in both sexes. [Art Historian Martin Kemp, an expert on visualization in art and science] hypothesizes-and this seems quite reasonable-that 'the hollow globes, like the remarkable excrescences exhibited by other treehoppers, probably deter predators.' It would be hard to grab, much less chow down on, a beast with all those spines and excrescences.
Note, though, that the ornament sports many bristles. If these are sensory bristles, and not just deterrents to predation or irritating spines, then the ornament may have an unknown tactile function."
More info: https://bitly.com/XAStoO
Hat tip to The Science Channel
![We're going to have to agree with io9 and say the Brazilian treehopper is one of the strangest creatures we have ever seen!
From io9: "...Note that the 'balls' on the antenna-like structure aren't eyes, but simply spheres of chitin. A first guess is that it's a sexually-selected trait, but those are often limited to males, and these creatures (and the ones below) show the ornaments in both sexes. [Art Historian Martin Kemp, an expert on visualization in art and science] hypothesizes-and this seems quite reasonable-that 'the hollow globes, like the remarkable excrescences exhibited by other treehoppers, probably deter predators.' It would be hard to grab, much less chow down on, a beast with all those spines and excrescences.
Note, though, that the ornament sports many bristles. If these are sensory bristles, and not just deterrents to predation or irritating spines, then the ornament may have an unknown tactile function."
More info: https://bitly.com/XAStoO
Hat tip to The @[14391502916:274:Science Channel]](http://sphotos-f.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-prn1/s480x480/154183_526645887367088_1288253019_n.png)
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