The Stunning Mimicry of The Lichen Katydid

Yesterday, while researching for my "wasp with the ant-like ass" post, I came across what is possibly the most stunning example of animal mimicry:

Th beautiful little monster depicted above is commonly known as the Lichen Katydid, or Markia hystrix if you prefer the scientific term. A creature weaved by nature itself, as @ruth-girl pointed when I showed it to her! The video was taken by David Weller, a wildlife photographer, somewhere in Costa Rica. Here's another one showing this amazing critter in case you haven't had enough:

This unique creature occurs in Central America (Costa Rica, Panama), Colombia and Ecuador. Unfortunately, I couldn't find any other reliable info on it, as the only scientific paper I managed to find resisted all my magic tricks to access it.

So, I will just go with what I found on regular, not-so-scientific sites. 

According to this site, M. hystrix  is a newly discovered species that much like all katydids, heavily relies on camouflage, making itself look like lichens to avoid predation. Scientists assume it inhabits the upper regions of the forest canopy, where lichens are more abundant on the trees. 

As you can see, its body is covered with thin protrusions that further enhance the appearance of lichen. Whether those  protusions have any other purpose is still something we don't know. These little guys appear to be more active in the night and their diet is a mystery. Typically katydids are herbivore creatures but there a few omnivores so it could well be one of those exceptions.. 

And that's pretty much all I could find, although I would love to hear your insight, if you have any to offer, in the comments down below!

So, allow me to close with 2 more pictures of this breathtaking creature:

(credit)

(credit)

Oh yeah, almost forgot. Here's an update on my greenhouse unboxing post. As you can see, I thinned the overcrowded basil seedlings and a new baby (dwarf nasturtium, pot in the middle) just started to grow:

See ya tomorrow and steem on!

 Do you love strange animals like I do? Here are some of the coolest weirdos I have featured in my recent posts:

• Clistopyga caramba: The Wasp With The Ant-Like Ass!
• Ephydra hians: The Scuba Diving Fly !
• The spider that looks like a tiny pelican!
• Australian Bees Build Fucking Cool Spiral Nests
• The Blue Cloud Forest Millipede
• Spirobranchus giganteus: Real Life Christmas Trees!
• 3 Amazing Spiders That Pretend To Be Something Else!
• Giant Isopods - Aliens Of The Deep
• Clathrus archeri: Weird Alien-Like Eggs Hatch Into Weird Octopus Thing