#insect egg

[morgansram]

Eastern red centipede brooding her eggs

[billionneuronscurious]

Uncertainties, and Lucky to be Alive:

We often talk about how human life expectancy has increased over the years. But, the quality of life in some parts of the world, even today, continues to be of degraded nature. And the uncertainties in life in these populations too is high. These regions are conflict zones, or those facing risks from climate change and global warming. And when it comes to thinking about the end of humanity, people may think that it is either far away, or if it is to happen suddenly, then it will be due to an event - such as asteroid impact.

But, do we think about lives of plants and animals, or of any other species -our fellow earth companions - say a particular insect? For an example, consider this creature in the photo, which is a moth caterpillar. And those structures which you can see on its eyes and another on its frontier (near eyes) is an egg laid by another species of an insect (a parasitoid). So, this caterpillar mostly won't be surviving. Apart from chances of being eaten by some insect, what are other things that can happen with this caterpillar? Yes, it can be killed by a bird. Or it can be captured and killed by human, for the purpose of learning/ science. Or it can be carried away by a sudden stream of water in its area; flown off by strong wind. Its host - plant, and other plants nearby may die, causing this caterpillar to die too. Thunderbolt may strike and make it disappear. And there are so many possibilities by which this caterpillar may die (we are not considering its adult form - an adult moth).

How lucky we the creatures of this earth are to manage to survive and fend death every single day. Or how unlucky we are to be slave to the possibilities by which which we could die, and to face uncertainties in life.

- Dhairyasheel Dayal

[briery]

Isabella Kirkland, Phasmid Eggs II, 2022.

[nemfrog]

“Insect eggs: their structure, variety and beauty.”  The Intellectual observer. Vol. 12. 1868. 

[he-who-photographs-rather-ok]

[billionneuronscurious]

Egg of a Nymphalidae Familly Butterfly.

[briery]

Insect eggs from left to right: clusters of Atlas moth eggs; Saturniid moth eggs; Madagascan comet moth eggs; Extatosoma tiaratum eggs (Macleay’s Spectre Stick Insect); Heteropteryx dilatata eggs (Jungle Nymph Stick Insect).

[briery]

A collection of eggs produced by different stick insect species (Phasmida) Even within one type of insect, the eggs can take on all sorts of different looks, with many looking like ancient pottery. (Photo: Drägüs)