the.com/inchworm
a caterpillar that walks like it's perpetually doing math on its fingers.
means A small, slender caterpillar (the larva of a geometer moth) that moves by drawing its hind end up to its front, arching its body into a loop, then reaching forward again.
from A plainspoken English compound: "inch" plus "worm," named for the way the creature seems to measure off the ground an inch at a time as it loops along. The same idea hides in its scientific family name, Geometridae, from Greek roots meaning "earth-measurer" — so the bug is literally a tiny surveyor in both English and Greek. The looping crawl also earns it the names "measuringworm" and "looper."
- missing legs
- lacks middle prolegs, forcing its signature looping crawl
- future moth
- becomes a geometer moth, not a butterfly
- twig cosplay
- freezes rigid, mimicking a branch to fool birds
- silk parachute
- drops on a thread to escape predators
- named for math
- geometer means earth-measurer in Greek
geometer moth caterpillar — larva of family geometridae, moves by arching body in distinctive measuring gait
cankerworm — spring and fall cankerworm species in north america, devastate oak and apple trees