Who can resist this spiky looking little creature from the rainforest of Ecuador?
Yet, looks can be deceptive, and the striking white tufts are waxy secretions that may protect the larva from predators. The larva may simple be very tricky to catch and may not taste very nice.
The dusky ladybeetle belongs to the Coccinellidae, a family that is widely known under the name ladybird, or ladybug (see previous blogpost Daydreaming about Ladybirds). Perhaps this larva will spark some new ideas for a helmet.
Photo By Gilles San Martin – originally posted to Flickr as Stethorus punctillum, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=9579775
Biomimicry for Young Children 