These caterpillars can camouflage themselves, even when blindfolded

Lakshmi Supriya in Science:

Most animals that change color to match their surroundings can see what these surroundings look like. But the peppered moth caterpillar can do this with its eyes closed, according to a new study, and scientists have figured out how.

Researchers raised more than 300 larvae of the peppered moth (Biston betularia) in the lab. After the caterpillars grew up a bit, the scientists placed them in different boxes containing artificial sticks painted black, brown, green, and white (pictured). Some of the larvae were blindfolded using black paint.

The blindfolded caterpillars changed their entire body color to match the stick they were sitting on as well as their seeing counterparts did, the team reports in Communications Biology. When the researchers placed the caterpillars in boxes containing different colored sticks, about 80% of the larvae, both blinded and sighted, chose to rest on sticks that matched their body color.

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