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7 MONTHS AGO
Photographer Happens Across A Bug
That Looks Like A Piece Of Popcorn
With Tiny Legs
Julija Svidraitė
BoredPanda staff
When you think about it, the real world is almost
equally as magical as it’s portrayed in cartoons and
fantasy movies. There are foxes out there who like
to collect crocs, chickens who work at auto shops,
doggies who help kids cross the street safely, and
tiny birds that look straight out of a fairytale.
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Today, let’s upgrade this list with another incredible
creature. Some time ago, talented nature
photographer Andreas Kay uploaded a short video
to his YouTube channel capturing something that
sort of looks like a walking piece of popcorn.
This flatid planthopper nymph from
the Amazon rainforest of Ecuador is
covered with waxy filaments for
protection
Image credits: Andreas Kay
This walking cloud or a piece of popcorn with tiny
legs is actually an insect from Ecuador called the
Oatid planthopper. “This tiny Oatid planthopper
nymph from the Amazon rainforest of Ecuador is
covered with waxy @laments for protection,” the
photographer wrote in the description of the video.
The wax coating that they secrete
when moving around can turn them
into little clouds with legs
Image credits: Andreas Kay
The Oatid planthopper is a tiny bug whose name
comes from the fact that they often “hop” from one
plant to another when moving around. The video by
Andrea Kay captures a nymph of the insect.
Flatid planthopper nymphs are light green with faint
longitudinal orange stripes, though these colors are
often masked by a Oocculent wax coating that they
secrete when moving around, turning them into
little clouds with legs.
The video capturing the little cutie
was shot and uploaded to YouTube by
nature photographer Andreas Kay
Walking Snow/ake: Planthopper …
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!
An adult Oatid planthopper has wings that are
completely white or with a slight shade of pale
green. Their eyes can be red, green, white, or yellow.
These insects drink plant juice from stems, but
don’t cause signi@cant harm to the plant itself.
However, these bugs may leave a white, waxy
residue on branches and leaves, making it appear a
bit unattractive.
Another nature photographer, David Weiller, has
also captured a similar-looking Oatid planthopper
nymph and posted the video on his YouTube
channel. “Flatid planthopper nymph from the
Amazon rainforest of Puyo, Ecuador. This tiny
planthopper nymph features wax-like protrusion
used for protection and maybe also to mimic a
spider or bird droppings on a leaf, concealing itself
from potential predators,” Weiller writes in the
description of the video.
Learn more
Image credits: David Weiller
“My name is David Weiller, I am from France and
my hobby is wildlife photography and shooting
videos of wildlife in various rainforests around the
world,” David told us. “The Oatid planthopper nymph
was a lucky @nd at the botanical garden of the town
of Puyo, Ecuador. After a day of @nding and taking
pictures of insects, while walking on the top of the
hill under the dense canopy, from the corner of my
eye, I spotted this planthopper on a leaf with its
funny ‘Louis XIV wig’ or popcorn-like wax
protusions, I was so amazed. I set up my camera
and tripod pushed up to @lm it for a few the
minutes while it was walking rapidly around the
leaf.
Another video capturing a similarlooking nymph was shared on
YouTube by photographer David
Weiller
'Walking Popcorn' Planthopper N…
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!
“Though some shots need maybe 1 day or 1 week
to get, waiting in a hide for the animal to appear,
this was simple shot, the challenge was that it was
so small and so active as it was a hot and humid
day and walking around so fast so I had to
reposition the camera and tripod several times to
get a good angle. I was using the full capabilities of
my macro lense, at 1 to 1 magini@cation, recording
in 4K using the cropped factor of my camera. A few
minutes later it went to hide behind the leaf,” the
photographer told us.
“Sometimes, I am looking for a certain species like
this one for 5 or 10 years and when I @nally @nd it,
and photograph it, I feel really happy. It’s not like
there is always something interesting to
photograph in the rainforest so it is a bit like a
treasure hunt. The most diDcult part is to @nd the
animals,” David added.
Here’s how people reacted to this
walking piece of popcorn
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Julija Svidraitė
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Author, BoredPanda staff
Julija Svidraitė is a Bored Panda writer and
photo editor who recently got her bachelor's
degree in Psychology. Before Bored Panda,
Julija worked as a social media specialist and a
content creator at a marketing agency. She has
also tried herself in a few different @elds
working as an intern: from practicing graphic
design at a social media marketing agency, to
being an assistant at a psychiatric hospital.
Besides writing, Julija is also very passionate
about illustrating, reading poetry, drinking
coffee, and watching crime documentaries.
You can @nd her in Bored Panda ODce or reach
her at julija.s@boredpanda.com.
Read more »
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Start the discussion
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POST
Anthony Goldstein (female) 7 months ago
eating popcorn when I saw this article..... I feel sick
5
Reply
Kathy Smith 7 months ago
Let it sit for a few minutes, to see if any of it is
going to walk away.
9
Reply
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Ellie 7 months ago
I thought it was a spider with fungus growing around
it...
1
Reply
Lauren Caswell
Same!
0
7 months ago
Reply
Morgan Olson 7 months ago
kinda cute... looks more like cauliOower tho
1
Reply
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