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Posted By: Wordwind Goatmoths at Parties - 02/12/05 06:55 PM
Now you know they exist. If you didn't.

A renowned American writer observed that goatmoth caterpillars have 228 separate muscles in each of their little caterpillar heads.

She was surprised that no one at a party wanted to discuss this fascinating bit of trivia with her. Too bad I wasn't at the party.

Posted By: Buffalo Shrdlu Re: Goatmoths at Parties - 02/12/05 07:32 PM
none of the links I found had any reference to these moths being in America. interesting.

Posted By: Faldage Re: Goatmoths at Parties - 02/12/05 10:03 PM
none of the links … had any reference to these moths being in America.

No wonder din't nobody wanna talk about them.

Posted By: Wordwind Re: Goatmoths at Parties - 02/12/05 11:51 PM
But they are found in the southern United States.

They're in a group of animals known as the wood borers. Here's something from an internet site I can't re-access about wood:

"Wood \Wood\ (w[oo^]d), a. [OE. wod, AS. w[=o]d; akin to OHG. wuot, Icel. [=o][eth]r, Goth. w[=o]ds, D. woede madness, G. wuth, wut, also to AS. w[=o][eth] song, Icel. [=o][eth]r, L. vates a seer, a poet. Cf. Wednesday.]

Mad; insane; possessed; rabid; furious; frantic. [Obs.]

[Written also wode.]

[1913 Webster]

Our hoste gan to swear as [if] he were wood. --Chaucer. [1913 Webster]

Source: The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.44"

Posted By: Wordwind Re: Goatmoths at Parties - 02/13/05 11:44 AM
Dr. Bill would have enjoyed speaking with the writer at that once-attended party because he has analyzed the need of those 228 muscles in the head of the goat moth caterpillar's head. He observed that all those muscles would have facilitated the boring of the wood the creature feeds upon. Now that's party conversation worth listening to. Sure beats Tupperware.

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