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View Full Version : The Very Rare and Very Pink Katydid [PIC]



accadacca
05-17-2010, 12:07 PM
treehugger.com - What you are looking at is the very rare and very pink katydid. First discovered back in 1887, the pink katydid is so rare that they occur once out of every 500 individuals. You have a better chance of spotting a unicorn in the wild.

http://www.treehugger.com/pink-katydid-4.jpg

Photo via Flickr (http://www.flickr.com/photos/kiumo/3661599581/in/photostream/)

Of course, the color pink alone isn't very common to the animal kingdom, flamingos aside. It's the result of a condition called erythrism, similar to the recessive gene that afflicts albino animals.

http://www.treehugger.com/pink-katydid-5.jpg

Katydids are large, leaf-shaped and usually green. They are named after a song they sing: katy did katy did katy did. Their green skin makes them somewhat hard to find for insect-chowing predators. But the pink ones are not afforded the same luxury.

While people have tried to produce pink katydids in captivity, there had been little success until last year. The New Orleans Audubon Insectarium had acquired both a pink male and a pink female katydid which resulted in a litter of new pink babies.

Photo via Flickr (http://www.flickr.com/photos/kiumo/3661599585/in/photostream/)
http://www.treehugger.com/pink-katydid-8.jpg


http://www.treehugger.com/pink-katydid-3.jpg

Photo via Photobucket (http://photobucket.com/images/katydids%20pink/)
http://www.treehugger.com/pink-katydid-6.jpg

Photo via Wikimedia Commons (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Pink_katydid_New_York.jpg)

blueeyes
05-17-2010, 12:51 PM
I don't particularly like the color pink. In fact it is my least favorite color, but I must say these Katydids wear pink well. I like!

Randi
05-17-2010, 01:05 PM
I don't particularly like the color pink. In fact it is my least favorite color, but I must say these Katydids wear pink well. I like!

I LOVE it! I do like the color pink & this lil' guy is ADORABLE!
I like the green ones too! Yeah - he/she does wear it well.
Amazing!

BruteForce
05-17-2010, 04:44 PM
I imagine that this color would not provide for a long life span. The reason these insects do so well is their ability to camo. themselves. Pink doesn't blend well into tree foliage. Interesting though (if in fact real).

LOAH
05-22-2010, 02:54 PM
I imagine that this color would provide for a great addition to a fish hook.:2thumbs: