Last night, while flipping through the channels, we came across “In the Womb” on the National Geographic Channel.
Fascinating show, I can’t possibly list all the truly awe-inspiring tidbits of information we heard & saw – but you shoulda SEEN that little kangaroo foetus make it’s way out the internal womb and into the pouch. The thing was so PINK and thin-skinned and tiny and vulnerable looking. How did the mother know to hold still while it clutched it’s way up to the pouch? And what if it accidentally dropped off? And how did it know where to go? It’s organs hadn’t even finished developing yet!
It’s hard to feel, as a (human) woman, like you’re performing some miracle by being pregnant when you see how animals do it. There’s a kind of shark that produces hundreds of embryos in the womb, just so that the one surviving shark baby (he ate his original siblings) would have something to eat. Gross, right? And yet… wow.
Last night’s episode featured the Red Kangaroo, Emperor Penguin, Parasitic Wasp, and the Lemon Shark. (Say that last one a few times… lemon shark… there’s something poetic sounding about those two word together.) We watched for the kangaroo and penguin (awwww….!!!) but wound up seeing the wasp and shark, as well. (EW!)
Let me tell you about the wasp. It is, by far, the single most disturbing and disgusting thing I’ve ever seen. That either of us have ever seen.
The wasp attacks some poor, defenseless caterpillar who’s moseying along, eatin’ some leaves, and it lays a bunch of fertilized eggs (up to 30) under the caterpillar’s skin. The unsuspecting caterpillar plays host/surrogate for 15 days, while the larvae feast on her blood. Part of laying the eggs involves also infecting the caterpillar with a virus that destroys the caterpillars reproductive organs. Turns it into a eunich.
Just wait, it gets better. Keep that virus in mind.
At days 15-20, the larvae then CHEW their way out of the caterpillar. They gnaw their way right out of it and THIS, my friends, is the very moment that made both Hank & I yell out loud and is, by far, the MOST DISTURBING THING I’VE EVER SEEN IN MY LIFE. If you have the stomach for it, watch the video. It’s not like it’s super bloody or graphic or anything but… there’s larvae chewing their way out of another living organism. I mean… gross, yeah? For a pregnant woman, I’m definitely not experiencing any of the usual side effects because even that didn’t make me puke. But I did cover my face with my hands and peek through my fingers.
The most shocking thing, however is that not only does this not kill the caterpillar, but that virus I mentioned? That virus reprograms the caterpillars brain so that the caterpillar sticks around to help weave a cocoon around and protect these larvae for another few days. If that were me, I’d be like, “Fuck you very much, I’m outta here!”
However, as the caterpillar is sticking around to fend off would-be attackers, it never leaves the cocoon and dies of starvation.
Then the larvae/wasps hatch, fly off… and die. After all that, they only live for a few weeks. Nice, huh?
If you’re thoroughly grossed out at this point, then… go look at something cute. Here’s the timeline for the gestation of the dolphin, elephant, and dog. Baby elephant! Squeal!