An odd predatory glow worm has been discovered in the Peruvian rain forest, trapping small insects in its wide jaws.
The glowing worms may use their phosphorescent ability to lure the bugs into their mouths, much like insects are drawn to a lamp,
Aaron Pomerantz, an entomologist working in the Peru, wrote on the Peru Nature Blog.
Pomerantz said the glow worms attack in a similar way to the humongous man-eating worms in “Tremors,” the popular 1990 movie.
"They're underground, and they burst from the earth,"
Pomerantz told LiveScience of the glow worms.
The glow worms are about a half-inch long, and they were discovered by Jeff Cremer, a nature photographer. He showed them to entomologists working at a nature lodge, LiveScience said, and they believe the worms are the larvae of a click beetle species.
The fascination with the predatory little worms glowing in the rainforest filtered through the Internet, sometimes as jokes.
Pomerantz explained the glow worms on YouTube with a video of the worms lighting up the forest.
Story continues below video.
On the blog, Pomerantz wrote, “So at the end of the day, why should we care about these critters? Aside from the fact that they are downright bizarre and extraordinarily cool looking, the science behind bioluminescent click beetles is still lacking. What role do they play in the complex environment and ecosystem of the Amazon rainforest? Why exactly did they develop the ability to produce their own light, and how did this trait evolve? What can they teach us about their biochemistry and the biodiversity of life on our planet? These questions are far from answered, but perhaps a curious naturalist will come along and help to solve this, and many other, Amazonian mysteries.”
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