Chapter 10 The Celestial Bull is always ready for a new life
The road is eaten.
The longhorn beetle is an insect of higher body tissue, and its larvae have a very peculiar appearance, because they resemble small sections of crawling intestines.
One year in the middle of autumn, I saw in an oak tree some larvae of two different ages, the larger one the one the thickness of a finger and the smaller one as thick as a pencil. In addition to this, I also saw some chrysalis of different shades of color, with bulging bellies, which will crawl out of the trunks in the warm season of the coming year. The larvae of the longhorn beetle usually live in an oak tree for three years, how do they get through such a long time?
Day after day, month after month, the larvae of the longhorn beetles wander around the trees all day, digging as they go, and then eating what they dig up as food. It can be said that the larvae of the longhorn beetle eat their way with their mouths. They have a large, black, short, thick jaw that resembles a spoon with a sharp circumference, and no fine teeth in its mouthparts, which are colloquially like a carpenter's semicircular chisel. The larvae use this chisel to dig through the pavement, and everything they chisel goes into their stomachs, leaving only a little juice as each mouthful of debris passes through their stomachs, and then they become moths and are piled up behind them. The construction site did not leave any obstacles, but left a lot of space, which is a project where the nutrition problem and the road problem are solved at the same time, which can be said to kill two birds with one stone.
A peristalsis of the small intestine.
In order to adapt to the hard labor of digging, the larvae concentrate the strength of their muscles on the front of their body, causing it to bulge into a large, strong rammer. As for the rest of the body, it is more thin. The larvae have to dig all day long, and the big jaw needs to work a lot, and this very important labor tool must have a firm support and a strong movement mechanism, so there is a black mouth like armor on the big jaw to reinforce the semicircular chisel. The larvae's ** is very delicate, because there is a thick layer of fat in the body, so it looks like a white brocade. It is a miracle that the larvae only eat tree chips that do not have much nutrients every day, and they can grow so plump.
The larvae have barely a millimeter of feet and are of no practical use for its crawling.
In addition, its body is very fat, and its feet cannot reach the ground at all, so it can only hang in the air. To talk about the way the larvae walk, it is really amazing, because they use both their backs and their stomachs to walk. On the back of the larvae, there are some foot-like walkers, which fully function as feet.
The first seven segments of the larval's abdomen have a quadrangular plane above and below them, which are full of rough papillae, and the larvae can allow these papillae to bulge, bulge, compress, and flatten at will. The upper quadrilateral is made up of two pieces of fat, which are separated by the blood vessels on the back, and the lower quadrangle does not show fat, these are the steps of the larvae. If the larvae want to move forward, puff up the back steps on their backs and stomachs and compress the front step belts. Because the larvae live in rough oak trees, they can support themselves by attaching their hind belts to narrow walls. The compression of the forward step belt reduces the diameter, and the larvae can slide forward and walk half a step smaller. In order to complete the whole step, the larvae also have to shrink the back of their body and make up for the part of their body that extends forward. At this time, the larvae puff up the fat in front to support their bodies, and then retract the back straps, allowing them to stretch freely. This is how the larvae swim in the heart of the tree, like a peristaltic small intestine.
Blind and deaf "wood".
The longhorn beetle has a very keen eye, but the larvae that live in the oak trees are blind. It's no wonder that they live all day long in black tree trunks, where food is everywhere and can be found without the need to look, and sight is of course useless. When it comes to hearing, of course, it is not very useful, the oak trees are always very quiet, they do not have to listen for natural predators to harm them at all times, and in places where there is no sound, it does not matter whether they have hearing or not.
They're deaf and blind, they don't even have a sense of smell, do they?Many animals rely on their sense of smell to find food, and the larvae do not need to look for food, do they have no sense of smell?If that's the case, this larva is too pitiful!I decided to check it out right away. I found a short section of cypress trees, dug a small ditch that resembled the passage of the longhorn in the oak tree, and put a larva in the small ditch. The wood of the cypress tree is very fragrant and has a resinous smell that is characteristic of conifers. In general, if animals are left in an unfamiliar or Xi unaccustomed place, they tend to have a very irritable reaction and may be restless. But the larva crawled to the end of the ditch, and lay there motionless, as if this was the bedroom in which it usually slept. It doesn't care about the strong smell and sleeps soundly. To further validate, I put a couple of pungent mothballs into an oak tree where the larvae live, but they remained indifferent. Finally I used naphthalene and they still didn't respond. I decided not to do futile experiments anymore, it was certain that they had no sense of smell.
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Speaking of taste, I really can't imagine how clear the taste of the larvae who eat one food all year round can have, this monotonous food is nothing more than sometimes more juicy, more leathery, sometimes less juicy, it will appear drier, and the difference in taste is nothing more. In addition, almost all animals have a sense of touch, and I think that although the larvae of the longhorn beetle are more special, they should still be there. When I prick them with small needles, I can still feel them vibrate in pain, although the cause of this tactile sensation is passive.
The conclusion of a series of experiments is that the larvae of the longhorn beetle have no sense of sight and hearing, only a less sensitive sense of taste and touch, and these two senses are relatively dull, I think it is like a kind of half-sleeping wood. I don't know if this metaphor is figurative, just for your reference.
A "little fairy" who predicts the future
Although the larvae of the longhorn beetle feel numb, they are very thoughtful about their future life and can be said to be very predictable. During the three years of dark life, although they climbed up and down the ground and wandered around, one moment here and another, they certainly did not go too far from the deep oak tree, because the deep layer is very warm, no matter whether it is a storm or a scorching sun outside, it will not affect their daily life, and of course it is safer here.
However, after three years of seclusion, they will eventually leave the oak trees and plunge into the bosom of nature. They know very well the path they are going to take, and they know that the road will be fraught with dangers. So, on the day they are about to leave the oak tree, they have to think not only about what they will eat, but also about how they will go out in the future.
The larvae that have just entered the oak tree are only as thin as the stems of small grasses, and when they are about to turn into pupa, they are already as thick as little fingers. During these three years, they have always dug passages in the shape of their bodies, gradually reducing in diameter from tail to tail, and the path is always in the center of the trunk. Their dwelling is like a zigzag labyrinth filled with moths. For the adult beetle, it is even more difficult to climb out of this labyrinth far away from the world than to ascend to the sky. Fortunately, the larvae of the longhorn beetle know what difficulties they will encounter in the future, so they are ready for their trip.
As the three years of idleness were coming to an end, the larvae, as if propelled by some premonition, began to dig into the skin of the oak with a vigorous drill. It is actually very dangerous for them to do so, and if it happens that the woodpecker doctor is treating the oak tree, they will be spotted as soon as they show their heads, and of course it will end up being a meal for the woodpecker doctor, there is no doubt about it. However, they did not hesitate to dig and gnaw until only a layer of the skin of the tree was left unpierced, and they were all used as curtains. Those who are bold don't even leave the curtain of the door, and directly accept the embrace of the sun. This is the exit of the Celestial Ox, after the Celestial Ox feathers out, as long as they file the curtain with a large jaw, or arch their heads, they can easily get out of the habitat, this little thing is too easy for them.
After arranging the future, the larvae begin to work on the things in front of them. They retreated to the aisle not too deep, and dug a hut next to the exit, which was well equipped and well guarded. The hut is oblate-oval, 80 mm to 100 mm long, 25 mm to 30 mm long on the transverse axis and 15 mm long on the longitudinal axis. In the house, the larvae put a millimeter thick velvet of wood fiber on the walls, because the delicate pupae like comfortable places. Outside the hut, the larvae are also fenced with three fences, from the outside to the inside, with wood chips and small wood chips, white caps of minerals, and wood chips. After these preparations, the larvae are already tired and need to rest.
Always in the direction of the door.
When the larvae have completed all the preparations, they put their tools aside, molt their skins, and turn into pupa. The pupae are very weak in their infancy and can only lie on a soft blanket to accumulate strength. At this time, their heads are always facing the direction of the door. This may seem random, but it's not, and it's key to their growth. After the cow feathers out, they will be covered with a layer of hard armor, and at this time, because of the restraint of the armor, it is difficult for them to turn over, let alone turn their heads, which is simply impossible. You might be wondering what would happen if one of the larva got their head inOf course, it is very dangerous to do this, and it will kill the longhorn bull, so the larvae of the longhorn beetle never do such stupid things.
The beautiful spring is about to pass, and the celestial bulls are full of strength. They pulled the first sawdust away with their legs, and in front of them was a second barrier, a stone cover. Smash the stone cover?That's too much work, and it's not necessary. After a few strokes on his head and a kick with his foot, the stone cover came loose and fell off the frame. Next, it's the third barrier, or some wood chips, it's easy, pull it open and you're done. Now, the road is finally clear, and the Celestial Bull came to the front of the curtain, and bit the curtain a few times with his big jaw, the curtain broke, and the Celestial Bull crawled out. Breathing the first breath of fresh air, the warm sun shining on the whole body, the heavenly cow was so excited that even the tentacles were about to tremble with joy.
The longhorn beetle has finally completed its metamorphosis from pupae to adults, and in this process, the larvae are indispensable. Although they have poor sensory skills, they are very prescient and have the necessary preparations for the adult to travel, from opening the road to having the pupa lie down towards the door, and preparing a comfortable and soft blanket for the pupae.
For the safety of the pupa, they also set up three barriers. It can be said that every step of the way has been carefully arranged. Although some people say that they are a piece of intestines without feeling, and some people say that they are wood, no matter what others say, the series of work they do before they become pupae makes me look at them with admiration and respect for them. They're really funny little bugs, and I admire them from the bottom of my heart!
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