What’s The Story on the Silkworm?

Scientific Classification:
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Bombycidae
Genus: Bombyx
Species: B. mori

I watched the movie “Silk” today with my mother, and it had me thinking about the Silkworm…

No longer able to live in the wild due to it’s extreme natural selection for domestication, silkworms make silk…The cocoons they create from their salivary glands protects them during their pupal state.

It is legend that the ancient empress Xi Ling-Shi discovered silk when one day she was drinking her tea under a tree when a cocoon fell into her cup. She fished it out and the silk started to unravel out of the cocoon. She realized that it was strong enough for textile…She taught this to her people and the Chinese vehemently kept this secret from the world.

Story has it that a Chinese monk smuggled silkworms in a hollowed stick and sold this secret to the Europeans.

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I hope you enjoy today’s installment of Exotic Animal Lover! Until next time…

Live Exotically,

Kimberly Edwards ;D

P.S. If you haven’t seen the movie “Silk“, do check it out…It has love stories and turmoil surrounding the silk trade:

Technorati Tags: silkworm, silk, insects, endangered species, domesticated animal, domesticated species, Asian animals, herbivore, Silk

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