this post was submitted on 29 Jul 2024
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What is this thing?

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This awful creature was, according to my partner, found under or black walnut tree, attached to or emerging from the neck of a very-recently killed bunny that the dog had (killed within the last ~15m). Any idea what it is? More pics available.

It's not smooth like a slug/leech, but has a textured surface. It looks like a grub, but what would a grub be doing attached to a bunny? It has an obvious mouth and anus. She described the mouth part as "hexagonal", which she saw open while it was alive, coming off of or out of the Bunny's neck (it was in or by by a wound it didn't necessarily inflict).

I think it's probably just congealed evil and should be thrown into a fire, along with everything it touched except the puppy, and that's how it's going to get me.

My opinion is obviously tongue-in-cheek, but what is this really?

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[โ€“] sharkfucker420@lemmy.ml 61 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (4 children)

Ah fuck it's a botfly ๐Ÿคข

Fair warning for those who are curious, botfly larvae typically grow in the skin. Do not look this up unless you have a strong stomach. Especially do not look this up if you have trypophobia. I will never get some of those images out of my head. Genuinely gives me a stronger visceral reaction than some of the worst gore I have seen. Fuck botflies, I am gonna go wash my hands

[โ€“] bastion@feddit.nl 23 points 1 year ago

...he said, as he locked eyes with me, casually hitting the bong and slowly, calmly fucking a shark

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[โ€“] dogsnest@lemmy.world 40 points 1 year ago (4 children)
[โ€“] bastion@feddit.nl 35 points 1 year ago (1 children)

You nailed it. It was emerging because the host died.

[โ€“] threelonmusketeers@sh.itjust.works 33 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Kill it. Kill it with fire.

[โ€“] bastion@feddit.nl 13 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Indeed. It is quite dead now.

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[โ€“] henfredemars@infosec.pub 16 points 1 year ago

Incinerator. Burn it.

[โ€“] user224 12 points 1 year ago (1 children)
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[โ€“] Icalasari@fedia.io 38 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I think it's probably just congealed evil

Pretty good description of a botfly, actually

[โ€“] bastion@feddit.nl 21 points 1 year ago (2 children)

I have a friend.. ..as much as one can befriend a monster, anyways.. ..who intentionally let a botfly larva grow in his.. ..arm? thigh? Anyways, after a good long time, he started getting Stockholm syndrome and got fond of the evil fucker, because he had been through so much pain with it. Eventually, though, the pain was too much and he caved and got it removed.

There are some times when it's just better to listen to the pain.

[โ€“] pelletbucket@lemm.ee 13 points 1 year ago (1 children)

some entomologist let one grow on his head. it hatched under his hat during a baseball game

[โ€“] bastion@feddit.nl 18 points 1 year ago

One person's abject disgust is another's religion and a third's science.

[โ€“] OldManBOMBIN@lemmy.world 2 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Your friend sounds awesome

[โ€“] bastion@feddit.nl 2 points 1 year ago

The jury's still out on that, but hopefully I'll continue to interact with him and have a chance to know him well enough to make that call.

[โ€“] Plum@lemmy.world 25 points 1 year ago (4 children)
[โ€“] ChanchoManco@lemm.ee 29 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

Damn if that's a Cuterebra I don't wanna know the Uglierebra.

I'll let myself out.

[โ€“] Plum@lemmy.world 15 points 1 year ago

No you can stay.

[โ€“] Donjuanme@lemmy.world 16 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Thanks, that was a rabbit hole I didn't need.

[โ€“] Plum@lemmy.world 17 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (3 children)
[โ€“] bastion@feddit.nl 7 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)
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[โ€“] CMDR_Horn@lemmy.world 7 points 1 year ago

Why, why the fuck would I search for images of the Cuterebra and then zoom in right before bed?

That poor squirrel, horrible & yuck

[โ€“] threelonmusketeers@sh.itjust.works 24 points 1 year ago (3 children)

For everyone who made it through this thread: !eyebleach@lemmy.world

[โ€“] Itsamelemmy@lemmy.zip 14 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

Nope, now I just imagine all the poor cute animals like OP's bunny infested with bot fly.

It's a trap! Botfly propaganda detected:

[โ€“] silverdraco@lemmy.world 3 points 1 year ago

Thank youโ€ฆ thank you. :(

[โ€“] ramenshaman@lemmy.world 15 points 1 year ago (2 children)

I don't recommend doing an image search on "botfly"

[โ€“] stoy@lemmy.zip 9 points 1 year ago

I recommend everone to heed this advice.

To hear Jeremy Clarksson talk about it, watch the Top Gear Bolivia Special

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[โ€“] threelonmusketeers@sh.itjust.works 11 points 1 year ago (1 children)
[โ€“] Plum@lemmy.world 5 points 1 year ago

๐Ÿคฎ

[โ€“] Donjuanme@lemmy.world 11 points 1 year ago (2 children)

I'm concerned that's a Kroger container, what state are you in? I thought bot flies were a equatorial thing, fucking global warming

[โ€“] bastion@feddit.nl 7 points 1 year ago

They're in the south-south, but the ones that go for rabbits (and not people) can make it all the way up to New York.

Definitely have had em here in the southern US for a while now.

[โ€“] feedum_sneedson@lemmy.world 10 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Swedish salt liquorice, I can't remember the Swedish name for it though. It's an acquired taste.

[โ€“] bastion@feddit.nl 4 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

Now, if I every try it, I'll think of bot flies the whole time.

[โ€“] gentooer@programming.dev 3 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Saltlakrits. It's amazing.

[โ€“] Madison420@lemmy.world 2 points 1 year ago

Not as good as the little people ones though.

[โ€“] Plum@lemmy.world 9 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Start an iNaturalist account and share your gross bug with the scientific community. I've seen a couple people suggesting Google lens for identification, but for plants and animals it's fun to make the data count for something.

[โ€“] bastion@feddit.nl 3 points 1 year ago (1 children)

That, my friend, is a wise admonition, and I wish you many fake internet points, and the clarity to not only know, but to also feel that they don't matter.

[โ€“] Plum@lemmy.world 4 points 1 year ago

Even if you don't contribute, it's fun to play around in map mode. Go see what lives in Equatorial Guinea. Type in your favorite shark. Etcetera.

[โ€“] Mothra@mander.xyz 4 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Holy cow how large is this thing? Is that a really small butter knife? ๐Ÿ˜ฎ

[โ€“] bastion@feddit.nl 9 points 1 year ago

No. If anything, it's a fairly large butter knife.

The specimen of raw evil was, at a guess, about an inch and a quarter.

[โ€“] Grass@sh.itjust.works 3 points 1 year ago (1 children)

well after sewing this and the comments, my already bad day is ruined

[โ€“] bastion@feddit.nl 3 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

Glad we could help. Wouldn't want for you to have a bad day of merely mediocre quality.

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