Caterpillars

Simone wandered around the hall, viscerally fascinated by the myriad of scientific studies on display. She sidled up to a poster that claimed that certain caterpillars emit noise through their oral cavity. The young man presenting his thesis spoke enthusiastically and eloquently about his topic in spite of a heavy accent that prevented him from making "th" and long "e" sounds, among others. He used video playback to demonstrate that the noise does originate from the test caterpillars' oral cavities. "That sound clearly tells me to stay away," remarked Simone, taking a cautious step back from the speakers. The young man nodded and explained that his study was attempting to determine the source of the noise. Perhaps, he suggested, the noise had to do with air being expelled against the tit. Simone's eyes widened. "Pardon me?" He pointed to a picture of a caterpillar caught with its oral cavity wide open. Sharp protrusions emanated in a circular pattern. "See? 'E 'as a mout full of tit!" Simone puzzled over this for a second. Ah. A mouthful of teeth. Well then.