In England explode caterpillar

A strange thing happens with the tracks in the English countryside: they explode.

The caterpillars of lasiocampidae oak in Lancashire infected with baculovirus. The virus causes them to climb to the top of the plants closer to the sun.

This is not normal behavior. Caterpillars usually spend their time deep in the moss or in the undergrowth, away from birds and other predators. Being at the end of the branch, the caterpillar blows up, when the baculovirus flows from the skin to infect the insects on the ground.

"It's like a horror movie about zombies," says Chris Miller from Lancashire wildlife Fund, which oversees the nature Reserve of moss in Winmalee.

Infected caterpillars climb to the top, as the baculovirus affects their reaction to light. Being higher than usual, they die, leaving behind only the skin.

Zombie attack, however, is not a new phenomenon. This behavior of caterpillars was recorded many times, but there is, apparently, the last known outbreak of the zombie epidemic.

Translated by «Yandex.Translator»