Why it's awesome: The caterpillar of the gum leaf skeletonizer moth is a hairy little creature that keeps its old head capsules and stacks them on its head. This macabre adornment has earned it ...

The effect of this feeding lead to the English name "Oak Skeletonizer". The caterpillar later makes a beautiful white ribbed cocoon that it fastens on leaves, trunks or any other item in its way.

It turns out one species of caterpillar, the gum-leaf skeletonizer, does the same thing in the insect world. This macabre little critter stacks skulls on its head to fend off predators.

While his discovery wasn't a monster, it does have a pretty scary name: the western grapeleaf skeletonizer ... only the ribs--or skeleton--of the leaf. "It can be a pretty impressive insect ...

The moth, dubbed with the rather heavy metal name “Western grape leaf skeletonizer” is from the species Harissina metallica and is described by the county as a “voracious feeder” that can ...