Caterpillars that move faster by acting as one giant caterpillar

[BrotherRool]

I can't think of a way to make this relevant to the normal sort of off-topic discussion, but this is incredibly cool

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kbFMkXTMucA

It's a group of caterpillars acting as a super-organism to move faster. Basically the caterpillars on top walk on the bottom of the caterpillars below, so whilst being carried forward they're also moving forward at their own pace as well until they extend the front of the shape and the caterpillars at the very back hop on top so they don't get left behind.

Raw footage here
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YehR0wSUioY

Nature can be pretty cool

 

[krazykidd]

That is pretty cool even if it did make my skin crawl a bit ( i hate creppycrawlies). Now if only humans could work as a team like that .

 

[Genocidicles]

But do they flock together as butterflies to fly faster?

 

[Thaluikhain]

It's a group of caterpillars acting as a super-organism to move faster. Basically the caterpillars on top walk on the bottom of the caterpillars below, so whilst being carried forward they're also moving forward at their own pace as well until they extend the front of the shape and the caterpillars at the very back hop on top so they don't get left behind.

But...the caterpillars at the bottom are carrying the weight of the ones at the top. Why does that not slow them down?

 

[BrotherRool]

It's a group of caterpillars acting as a super-organism to move faster. Basically the caterpillars on top walk on the bottom of the caterpillars below, so whilst being carried forward they're also moving forward at their own pace as well until they extend the front of the shape and the caterpillars at the very back hop on top so they don't get left behind.

But...the caterpillars at the bottom are carrying the weight of the ones at the top. Why does that not slow them down?

I guess that's a diminishing returns thing? When you're that small you're proportionally strong for your weight and probably aren't slowed by the ones on top so much?

 

[Thaluikhain]

I guess that's a diminishing returns thing? When you're that small you're proportionally strong for your weight and probably aren't slowed by the ones on top so much?

Well, yeah, but why not move your own mass faster instead?

Now, I could see this being useful if there was a top speed the legs could move, regardless of the weight being carried, but then that's a weakness in their anatomy, this trick is giving back some of the speed they should have had already.

 

[BrotherRool]

I guess that's a diminishing returns thing? When you're that small you're proportionally strong for your weight and probably aren't slowed by the ones on top so much?

Well, yeah, but why not move your own mass faster instead?

Now, I could see this being useful if there was a top speed the legs could move, regardless of the weight being carried, but then that's a weakness in their anatomy, this trick is giving back some of the speed they should have had already.

I think that's probably it, caterpillars are designed for very stable efficient movement and they can climb up rough slopes at insane angles, but judging by the way their legs are, there's probably nothing they can do to try and move faster and so they start self-organising to do this. And maybe one of the reasons it's rare is because they're socially adapting to a threat they wouldn't have in other environments.


I'm really interested how it came about, caterpillars must be far too stupid to be able to organise themselves, so I guess a bunch of caterpillars got clumped up and the ones that left the clump died and the ones stuck trying to crawl over the top of other caterpillars didn't? But they still must have learned through trial and error to stop when the clump stops and stuff like that (it stops from the back too, which it would need to do to make sure the rear ones don't get left behind)

 

[Thaluikhain]

I'm really interested how it came about, caterpillars must be far too stupid to be able to organise themselves, so I guess a bunch of caterpillars got clumped up and the ones that left the clump died and the ones stuck trying to crawl over the top of other caterpillars didn't? But they still must have learned through trial and error to stop when the clump stops and stuff like that (it stops from the back too, which it would need to do to make sure the rear ones don't get left behind)

If that was the case, then no other caterpillars would do that. It's something that one group (not species, those particular individuals) would have learnt, but not been able to pass on to the next lot.

 

[BrotherRool]

I'm really interested how it came about, caterpillars must be far too stupid to be able to organise themselves, so I guess a bunch of caterpillars got clumped up and the ones that left the clump died and the ones stuck trying to crawl over the top of other caterpillars didn't? But they still must have learned through trial and error to stop when the clump stops and stuff like that (it stops from the back too, which it would need to do to make sure the rear ones don't get left behind)

If that was the case, then no other caterpillars would do that. It's something that one group (not species, those particular individuals) would have learnt, but not been able to pass on to the next lot.

I guess I don't know how widespread it is (also my knowledge of genetic brain programming is non-existent so I guess it could easily be an inherited thing)

 

[Thaluikhain]

I guess I don't know how widespread it is (also my knowledge of genetic brain programming is non-existent so I guess it could easily be an inherited thing)

I'd say it'd have to be, caterpillars aren't smart or long lived enough to think of that in one generation.

 

[triggrhappy94]

It's a human-caterpillar-centipede!
(Am I really the first to say this?)

 

[BiscuitTrouser]

I'd say it'd have to be, caterpillars aren't smart or long lived enough to think of that in one generation.

It might be that by clustering up they resemble something too large or non organic to predators above in the sky. Birds scan for the movement of insects, not of large blobs that freeze sometimes in what i imagine looks a LOT like poop from the air. The bird might not be intelligent enough to realise the large blob is actually a lot of smaller blobs of actual food. I imagine this would be quite an easy behaviour to evolve also, clutches of eggs that moved in the same direction survived more often. Id be unsurprised if these caterpillars were all brothers/sisters.

 

[Nouw]

It's almost like a real life Mgalakgolo, or Hunter from Halo. Pretty damn cool.

 

[sanquin]

I'd say it'd have to be, caterpillars aren't smart or long lived enough to think of that in one generation.

It might be that by clustering up they resemble something too large or non organic to predators above in the sky. Birds scan for the movement of insects, not of large blobs that freeze sometimes in what i imagine looks a LOT like poop from the air. The bird might not be intelligent enough to realise the large blob is actually a lot of smaller blobs of actual food. I imagine this would be quite an easy behaviour to evolve also, clutches of eggs that moved in the same direction survived more often. Id be unsurprised if these caterpillars were all brothers/sisters.

It's all guess work on our side of course. But you might be right. A combination of faster movement (across dangerous area's) and appearing larger than they actually are seems a good explanation. It's not like they're the only animals that team up to achieve goals more easily, or to confuse/mislead predators.