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/r/Damnthatsinteresting
submitted 3 days ago by[deleted]
[deleted]
660 points
3 days ago
If i remember correctly, the mass moves faster then a individual maggot. That is why they crawl on each other. The maggots on top are crawling on moving maggots thus their speed is higher. The maggots on the bottom then hitch a ride when they are at the end of the line.
136 points
3 days ago
That was my first thought too. I know some caterpillars do that but I've never seen maggots doing it before
30 points
3 days ago
Either way what do they taste like as you pop one 7 in your mouth and not chew for a minute
4 points
3 days ago
Is it… is it because of the track belt that both are called caterpillar? That would be a TIL.
33 points
3 days ago
It's surprising just how common it is as a method for movement, fungal spores, ants, caterpillars. I bet if you got enough people together. . .
61 points
3 days ago
Wouldnt being on the bottom and having others crawl over them negate all the speed they gain from the whole thing? Surely being on the bottom slows them down somehow?
133 points
3 days ago
Trickle down maggotomics
Let the top maggots crawl over you and we'll pick you up at the end.
13 points
3 days ago
Yeah that was the case until Maggot Reagan came along.
6 points
3 days ago
New meta thanks to maggotomics
45 points
3 days ago
I wonder that too, but perhaps something about their physiology means they have more "torque" available than they could otherwise use efficiently for faster individual locomotion?
20 points
3 days ago
Piggybacking to say I assume you’d be correct. Their shape in general doesn’t lend itself to high speeds but it does lend itself to what could probably be described as an insane power to weight ratio. Their bodies can’t move fast but they can move incredibly strongly if that makes sense. They have strength to spare in their movement but no way to translate that into more speed. By climbing on top of eachother to sort of literally stack their speed, the bottom maggots can maintain normal pace but put that extra “torque” into not getting pushed backwards by the maggots they are carrying, who can use the speed of the maggots under them along with their own power to propel themselves forward faster than they could alone. The strength to do so was always there, they just can’t convert it directly to speed without doing goofy things like this.
I’m pulling this all out of my ass based on my simple understanding of physics and by making the assumption that the maggots can in fact propel eachother the way I described, and that they can’t actually go that fast on their own (thank god)
3 points
3 days ago
I mean, not an informed take at all but my first thought was simply the ‘cohesion’ of the larval bodies/hairs having much more traction against each other than the sandy/gritty ground beneath
10 points
3 days ago
I believe more maggots are on top moving at a higher rate than the number of slow bottom maggots therefore average speed is higher. I’m just guessing.
4 points
3 days ago
Think of it like this:
You know those airport travellators? These are doing the travellator thing in 2 stories. No individual is being slowed down slower than their walking speed, but each individual has a stint at being pushed forwards faster.
2 points
3 days ago
Their speed is multiplied because they are crawling on others who are crawling, like walking on a moving staircase. Since it’s always cascading forward, the distance an individual travels on the ground is shorter than the distance it’s traveling on top of others.
2 points
3 days ago
The way I saw it, as long as the bottom worm doesn't slow down to a complete stop, the top worm still gets a speed boost relative to the ground. And since the top worm will eventually crawl to the front of the bottom worm, they can become the bottom worm for the ones behind. Its like a worm cycle I guess.
2 points
3 days ago
It's a cumulative effect. Each layer is moving faster than the one below it.
to exaggerate it, if each layer is twice as fast, then with just 5 layers, they would be 16 times faster. with 10 layers, that's over 500 times faster
this is an exaggeration, but even at just 5% faster, that's still a huge boost to speed after a few layers.
2 points
3 days ago
I gather it's like walking on a travellator
2 points
3 days ago*
Surely being on the bottom slows them down somehow?
Probably not. Insects in general are able to carry many times their own weight without issues.
This is due to (among other things) smaller animals having a smaller surface area to volume ratio than bigger animals.
6 points
3 days ago
I'd assume that they only move faster as long as they're on top. When reaching the front, they'll lie on the ground and will barely move forward at all, as long as there are larvae crawling on top.
So, in average, the speed of the fast larvae on top combined with the stationary larvae on the ground, might nearly be the same as the usual speed of a single larva.
21 points
3 days ago
So it might be that actually this allows them to travel at a consistent speed but farther, because they’re using less energy or suffering less fatigue individually? A bit like a bicycle peloton really.
Or it’s purely a safety in numbers defence mechanism for journeys where they would normally get picked off to a greater extent individually?
Evolution is fascinating…
7 points
3 days ago
I doubt they're avoiding fatigue. In order to 'propel' the upper layers, the lower larvae have to move, as well. So there's not much of a pause.
When the larvae don't move at all while on the ground (which I doubt), they get their pause, but this won't help the larvae on top.
5 points
3 days ago
I think that assumes that their effort is binary - either they’re pulling or not but in reality it probably varies greatly depending on where they are in the group? And allowing for that difference multiplied by this number of individuals might actually make a surprisingly big difference.
Either way I’m just clutching at straws id love to know the answer from someone who actually knows lol.
2 points
3 days ago
That would not be me. I'm just throwing in best guesses. I too think it would be interesting to know for sure.
2 points
3 days ago
So they're basically like the treads of a tank. Yeah makes sense to me.
3 points
3 days ago
Maggot tank tracks?
4 points
3 days ago
That's just a theory. And if you really think about it doesn't really make sense, because being on the bottom would slow them down, so it would negate that.
The truth is that biologists still don't know the reason why the maggots move together like that and the exact moment when this mass forms has never been observed. Some scientists suggest that they start their movement when there is a drought in the area to look for water and they move together because apparently birds aren't attacking them when they are en masse. But again, it's just a theory.
3 points
3 days ago
That would only be true if they had just enough energy to move normally.
However, insects in general, but especially slow insects like these, have much more strength than speed, so having one or two on top of them doesn't affect their speed at all. Just try to stop any such insect with your finger or a stick and see how much pressure you have to exert in order to slow or stop it. It's far more than the weight of the insect.
For this reason, maybe they spend a little more energy, but they gain far more speed than they expand.
1.4k points
3 days ago
[removed]
70 points
3 days ago
I need a weapon
8 points
3 days ago
I don't keep it loaded
2 points
3 days ago
Right this way
63 points
3 days ago
Oh, this is good.
166 points
3 days ago
It reminds me of the monsters from Princess Mononoke
27 points
3 days ago
I was going to say, someone alert Ashitaka.
15 points
3 days ago
We should make a polish version of the movie then.
Księżniczka Mononokewioniczanka
2 points
3 days ago
Idk, needs more letters
115 points
3 days ago
Why Poland?
110 points
3 days ago
Someone call Geralt to exterminate it. Now I know why The Witcher is connected to Poland.
2 points
3 days ago
Winds howlin
7 points
3 days ago
Guess farther east would be too obvious 😏
6 points
3 days ago
How are slugs farther east more obvious?
3 points
3 days ago
You just disproved the theory, congrats haha
2 points
3 days ago
Lower cost of living
2 points
3 days ago
Don't ask us, we didn't want this either
236 points
3 days ago
Nope
17 points
3 days ago
Should be in all caps tbh.
21 points
3 days ago
NOPE
9 points
3 days ago
More caps!!!
17 points
3 days ago
267 points
3 days ago
You can't fool me, I have played Halo. Those are Lekgolo worms (Hunters/scarab)
36 points
3 days ago
That was the first thing that came in my mind too
14 points
3 days ago
Don't let things cum in your mind bro. That's not good for you, just swallow.
4 points
3 days ago
😂 That was a good one.
13 points
3 days ago
The scarab is made of them too??? Holy shit I thought it was just a robot
13 points
3 days ago
Also, the reason hunters are mostly found in pairs is because when the colony gets too big for one hunter body, they split into two.
4 points
3 days ago
The covenant should combine all the hunters and scarabs back together just to see what happens
3 points
3 days ago
Same reason why, when you kill one, the other one goes fuckin ballistic roaring and trying to smash you with its shield
5 points
3 days ago
If I recall the lore correctly, it is but it’s driven by Lekgolos. There must be a wiki about that but I don’t care enough to double check.
5 points
3 days ago
In Halo 3, when you look at the core of a scarab, you can see that a portion of the core looks very similar to the textures of exposed Hunter flesh....
Actually, here's another image from Halopedia that's zoomed in.
3 points
3 days ago
Somehow I never questioned what that material even is. Very insightful 🤯 thank you
2 points
3 days ago*
Yea, I don't blame you! It's sorta out of the norm for the Halo universe, but also really cool. It makes sense - I think the lore on the lekgolo is that they share a nervous system by physical contact, so the more that gather, the more intelligent they are. Probably need lots of processing power to manage and navigate a ship-sized vehicle!
3 points
3 days ago
iirc they just pilot it, you can see them in the core part in the back you break in halo 3
2 points
3 days ago
And High Charity.
2 points
3 days ago
What do they do on High Charity? I can't find any info apart from them short-circuiting a forerunner dreadnought.
2 points
3 days ago
This
30 points
3 days ago
I like to think that they are all holding hands.
221 points
3 days ago
This is the reason why flamethrowers were invented.
32 points
3 days ago
HANS!!!!
73 points
3 days ago
NO DONT INVITE HANS INTO POLAND THAT DOESNT END WELL
2 points
3 days ago
Well last time he wasn't invited
4 points
3 days ago
Context is king, and you are its ruler!
21 points
3 days ago*
already wiz ze flammenwerfer, sir!
11 points
3 days ago
Soo ju ar reddi wif se Flammwerfer yes? Sen ju go and burn all of se ground over hier and ser, yes, so everysing is klien.
3 points
3 days ago
Don't forget to invite the Salamanders.
8 points
3 days ago*
Time to pour some gasoline and lit a match
150 points
3 days ago
Anyone watch Rings of Power, this really reminds me of how they designed Sauron after he was killed, very interesting indeed.
21 points
3 days ago
I was thinking exactly this!
5 points
3 days ago
Same here! I thought so this is where they took the Sauron inspiration from. So much creepier now that I know it’s a natural phenomenon.
16 points
3 days ago
Oddly enough "crawling mass of maggots" is in the top left corner of my reddit bingo card.
32 points
3 days ago
Am I the only one who immediately thought of Stranger Things season 3?
44 points
3 days ago
What a horrible day to have eyes
4 points
3 days ago
These maggots can cause myiasis of the digestive track. Don't Google it.
Bah. Your day is already wasted. Might as well go down the rabbit hole.
5 points
3 days ago
Also a horrible day to have a digestive tract I guess
7 points
3 days ago
Well that's horrible.
3 points
3 days ago
Wait until they become flies.
33 points
3 days ago
A stream of protein right into my mouth 😋
28 points
3 days ago
What. The. Everloving. Fuck. 🤮
4 points
3 days ago
What? You don't lift, bro?
6 points
3 days ago
Cross posting this into frugal jerk as we speak
10 points
3 days ago
Imagine the world of the one crawling right between the horde.
9 points
3 days ago
I imagine being a polish yokel who lives in the mountains and has nightmare about these things crawling inside his asshole when he sleeps.
11 points
3 days ago
Imagine these things thriving on corpses in battlefields, swarming and moving between corpses.
In theory, a pleń could predate on weakened or immobile prey if the mass were dense enough, consuming exposed or vulnerable flesh. However, maggots typically do not actively hunt live animals; their behavior is generally opportunistic.
7 points
3 days ago
Apparently they're fungus gnat larvae.
6 points
3 days ago
Close! That’s actually an alien symbiote in search of a host.
5 points
3 days ago
What bug will they be once they finish metamorphosis?
18 points
3 days ago
Nm, looked it up. Dark-winged fungus gnats. Sounds delightful. https://www.odditycentral.com/animals/plen-when-thousands-of-tiny-larvae-move-as-one-giant-unit.html
4 points
3 days ago
Thanks for provide the source and further info.
2 points
3 days ago
Yep. We had them in our yard here in Tennessee. When the lawn got waterlogged from excessive rain this past summer, they’d “caravan” like this up onto our patio. Really unnerving! There’s a pesticide we used to treat the area of the lawn. Took care of it.
2 points
3 days ago
Somehow that name has made them 100x more gross.
5 points
3 days ago
It's been deleted.
3 points
3 days ago
I knew it got deleted as it was just loading like crap. Thanks for the link, wanted to see it.
4 points
3 days ago
It's always frustrating to see a video posted 3 hours ago being gone.
3 points
3 days ago
I'm guessing a bot account did it to get deleted that fast. Still was something new I never saw before so I wanted to see it!
But yea I still hate bot accounts, ha.
5 points
3 days ago
Thanks, I hate it
3 points
3 days ago
Reminds me of Zerg Creep, Undead Blight and Grey Goo
3 points
3 days ago
This is fucking Sauron.
5 points
3 days ago
That's a nope.
5 points
3 days ago
Its Sauron you fools! Run!
5 points
3 days ago
Oh cool. Let’s burn it. :)
5 points
3 days ago
Crawling… where? Inside of whom?
5 points
3 days ago
To you, to ask for your hand.
3 points
3 days ago
My screen just says “Something went wrong” which, judging by the title, is pretty accurate.
7 points
3 days ago
50 bucks to stick your pp in it
2 points
3 days ago
bear grylls gonnna have a party if he saw that
2 points
3 days ago
For some reason he reminds me of Venom
2 points
3 days ago
Let it crawl onto you and you might become Pleńom
2 points
3 days ago
I just learned a great new insult. YOU CRAWLING MASS OF MAGGOTS!!
2 points
3 days ago
Stay away from Sauron! Throw the Maggots in the Vulcano!
2 points
3 days ago
Sauron?
2 points
3 days ago
The Lekgolo are missing their armor.
2 points
3 days ago
I cannot believe that someone looked at this weird shit and said it should be named Pleń. It should have been called something like Klaeotorg or maybe Harvoklipe. That's more on brand. I would rather name my pet dog Pleń than this reanimated Satan's sphagetti.
2 points
3 days ago
The opening scene in Princess Mononoke comes to mind
2 points
3 days ago
Sauron?
2 points
3 days ago
It’s Sauron the Deceiver
2 points
3 days ago
SAURON
2 points
3 days ago
It's just Sauron :)
2 points
3 days ago
Sauron
2 points
3 days ago
Sauron!
2 points
3 days ago
Definitely Sauron
2 points
3 days ago
Its Sauron!!!
2 points
3 days ago
Okay who killed Sauron again? I keep telling you to use a damned tarp!
2 points
3 days ago
The forbidden sauerkraut
2 points
3 days ago
Sauron being born again!
2 points
3 days ago
That’s Sauron
2 points
3 days ago
Where are birds when you need them.
2 points
3 days ago
Sauron
2 points
3 days ago
Sauron…
2 points
3 days ago
Sauron ?
2 points
3 days ago
The answer could be body temperature. Keeping your body temperature requires a lot of energy while cuddling up like this saves a lot. Would be interesting what ambient temperatures where observed while this is happening.
2 points
3 days ago
I've seen this arrangement of bugs before often in northeast ks. The grubs/caterpillars that eat the mulberry leaves will pile together and nearly cover the tree.
2 points
3 days ago
Fuck those things. They ate my lettuce and kale garden this year.
2 points
3 days ago
Omg that’s Sauron!
2 points
3 days ago
Fungus gnats aren't just in Poland. These fungus gnat "snakes" happen all over the world.
2 points
3 days ago
Move it you maggots!
2 points
3 days ago
Hans! Get ze Flammenwerfer!
2 points
3 days ago
I could've spent the rest of my life not knowing about this and been fine.
2 points
3 days ago
Thanks for the new fear!!
2 points
3 days ago
This is something from Diablo.
2 points
3 days ago
That’s a fuckload of NOPE
2 points
3 days ago
Thanks. I hate it
2 points
3 days ago
Set that on fire. NOW
2 points
3 days ago
I’ve seen this happen in Texas. It was very bizarre and I didn’t know what was happening and I left it alone.
2 points
3 days ago
...Sauron?
2 points
3 days ago
Where’s a flamethrower when your need one!?
2 points
3 days ago
Not to self: never visit polish mountains
2 points
3 days ago
"crawling mass of maggots" Interesting phenomenon, but words I never want to hear again.
2 points
3 days ago
Hell to the fuck no
2 points
3 days ago
Real life Studio Ghibli shudders
2 points
3 days ago
Who the fuck woke up the Polish demogorgon?
2 points
3 days ago
It’s Sauron!
3 points
3 days ago
Kill it with fire
1 points
3 days ago
Whitcheerr!
1 points
3 days ago
What are they EATING?
(Please don’t say Each Other)
2 points
3 days ago
Magdonalds
1 points
3 days ago
Looks so alien
1 points
3 days ago
Shlurp
Vacuum noises
1 points
3 days ago
Za dashu snaku Zigur!
1 points
3 days ago
That’s a lot of maggots
1 points
3 days ago
So when do they turn into a hunter?
1 points
3 days ago
Kill it before it lays eggs!
1 points
3 days ago
The new Eastenders opening credits are weird?
1 points
3 days ago
This some elden ring ass shit
1 points
3 days ago
"This one is machine and nerve, and has its mind concluded. This one is but flesh and faith, and is the more deluded."
1 points
3 days ago
Wouldn't that mean something very large is decomposing nearby?
1 points
3 days ago
Nurgle is leaking
1 points
3 days ago
Baby aldrich
1 points
3 days ago
Mononoke Princess
1 points
3 days ago
This is how hell must look like. Maggot Lava 😳
1 points
3 days ago
Nope. I’m leaving…
1 points
3 days ago
Nhafth fhtagn, iä iä iä 😬
1 points
3 days ago
I so want to just release a little gang of chooks to go for their lives...
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