Thursday, September 26, 2013
Mystery Bug Builds Fence Around Eggs and Nobody Knows Why
Chemical ecologist Troy Alexander recently returned to the US after a 3-month volunteer position for the Macaw Project. The project was based out of the Tambopata Research Center (a joint research center/tourist lodge run by Rainforest Expeditions), one of the most remote Amazon Rainforest lodges in South America.
It was here that Troy discovered a strange structure on the trunk of a tree (and a subsequent one on a tarp). It appears to be some kind of egg tower surrounded by a protective barrier (2 cm in diameter) that eerily resembles a white picket fence.
What’s so fascinating is that nobody knows who is responsible! After going viral on Reddit, Wired, io9, Colossal and countless blogs (e.g., here and here), the mystery remains unsolved.
Entomologists, mycologists, University professors and museum directors have all seen the images but nobody has been able to provide definite confirmation of what created this. It’s possible that Troy has discovered a new species!
