Silkmoth egg hatches under microscope - Saturnia albofasciata

[Overfl00d]

omg, what the fuck. that thing is hideous

[jcmegabyte]

It's not surprising that many SciFi horror movie monsters are based on insects... Good thing they aren't as big a busses! XD

[Str3ssed]

Grows! What sort of species is this?

[jcmegabyte]

This is a species of wild silkmoth. The caterpillars are pretty generic ugly when they first hatch but they get more colorful as they grow, and the adult moths are fairly attractive - a lot like butterflies. =)

[mufffin777]

wow...thats really ugly lol!

[Rosieeeeeeeeeee]

Wow, that was really interesting (: I love seeing how other species are born and how they live!

Thanks for the vid :D

I'm such a dork ^_^

[jcmegabyte]

It's amazing how many cool and interesting things go on right under our noses, but few people take the time to explore those little things. Glad I could bring some interesting things to the world to see :-) Thanks for watching and commenting!

[deeestroooy]

uurgh dude, thats fuckin disgusting! it has all little spikey bits. arrrrggghh!!!

[jcmegabyte]

A lot of horror movie monsters have been designed after insects just because of the monsterous features like that. Most isnects are pretty nasty/scary-looking when you view them close-up - especially the head/body parts! This species even has stinging spines.

[deeestroooy]

anything with more than 4 limbs feaks me out lol, XD

[jedimastergimli]

I SEE A COMBINATION OF ADOLF HITLER AND THE ANTI CHRIST!!!!!!!!!!!!! lol

[coold1do]

AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[jcmegabyte]

It came out pretty good for a $50 cheapie microscope/webcam! Thanks for watching :-)

[romancasco]

are you doing a study on this species

[jcmegabyte]

Yes - I've been working with albofasciata for about 5 years now. On my webseite, (accessible at jcmdi dot c0m, or just google "saturnia albofasciata video") there is a lot of documentation, photos, etc. on this species. I've documented many never before seen events in this little bug's life! :-)

[pooperthedooper]

what is it

[jcmegabyte]

It's just a little tiny moth caterpillar hatching out of its egg. Thanks for watching! :-)

[beebutterfly09]

They dont look pretty now but soon will be.

[jcmegabyte]

Rather like some sort of monster - especially when blown-up to this magnification! Thanks for watching :D

[adamisbetterthanluke]

What is the egg made of?

[jcmegabyte]

The eggshell itself is made of various proteins, which grow along with (inside of)the female moth as she develops during metamorphosis. The eggshell is actually nutritious, and carterpillars of many butterfly and moth species eat some or all of their eggshells as a hearty "first meal" to get them started.

[IblizTimur]

how long does it take to wait that egg hatch?

[jcmegabyte]

In nature, the eggs are laid in late October and due to the cold winter temperatures, they don't hatch until late March or April of the following year. In captivity, they will hatch in about 30-45 days if not refrigerated.

[aarontse2014]

this is so scary like the things u see in alien movies

[jcmegabyte]

No doubt! In fact, the queen alien in the movie "Aliens" was fashioned somewhat like an insect - exoskeleton and ovipositor t'boot!

Thanks for watching/commenting. :D

[IrrationalBehavior]

i came twice at 1:16

[Neovrail]

it was creepy but amazing. Sweet! :)

[jcmegabyte]

They definitely look like monsters when you magnify them that much!

[DPocke]

awesome little creature

[alexthepure]

OH DUDE! that is sick!

[NeexFox]

Are you seriously that scarred of a caterpillar? :(

[Buggascope]

Very nice, but needs audio!

[jcmegabyte]

Thanks.. :) I did add a soundtrack to the DVD version. I may still send the new one up yet.

[saleall]

man what was that? that wasn't an ant right?

[jcmegabyte]

The egg if from a Sphinx Moth - the Pacific Green Sphinx, sound in Southern california. It's a tiny little thing when it hatches but the caterpillar grows into a virtual Python - about 3" to 4" long!

[ThunderBrolly]

Wow, that was amazing

[ErasedOne]

Congratulation! It's a boy! xD