Did you know...
Spittlebugs are true bugs in the family Cercopidae. As nymphs, these herbivores cover themselves in a frothy secretion to hide from predators. If you've seen plants in a meadow that look like someone came along and spit on them, you've seen spittlebugs (though perhaps you didn't know it!). The foamy covering is actually a combination of the spittlebug's liquid waste and a secretion of mucous. The spittlebug has special appendages on its hind end, which it uses to whip air into the mixture.
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