A question about Queen Chrysalis

[Snoopy Fan 605]

How exactly does Queen Chrysalis have holes in her mane?

Edited January 16 by Snoopy Fan

[Azure Dawn 205]

She's made of cheese.

[ZiggWheelsManning 10,662]

An insect experiment of cheese that failed miserably for scientists.  

[SharpWit 2,680]

@Snoopy Fan I thought about this for some time last night, and I'm excited to share a potential possibility! 

Alright, so the Changelings in MLP are like Insectoids, right? The exoskeletons of insects are made of Chitin, mostly acting as a form of armor.

Mammals have hair and fur made up of Keratin. Their coats also offer protection, but more often from the elements than outright attacks. There are exceptions. Fingernails, and even hooves are made of keratin as well. The armor on Pangolins? Keratin!

Many insects and other arthropods have thin hair like coatings, made of chitin. These can range from tiny sensors that detect air movement, humidity, and temperature. Even the full bodied Fuzz on large tarantulas, Chitin!

Finally, and seemingly unrelated, is the Monstera, a popular houseplant that grows large leaves with splits and holes. What are these holes for? Several purposes actually! When it rains, they allow water to pass through easier and reach the roots. When it's windy, they allow air to pass through, rather than catch on the large surface area and potentially damage the plant. When it's nice and sunny, they allow some light to pass through and reach lower leaves. This allows for more leaves to grow just underneath, and creates denser foliage. However, if it's too sunny and the topmost leaves dry out, they will then partially shade the leaves below. If the wind proves too strong and does remove and outer leaf, there's already one right below to replace it!

So we've got two materials that can behave like each other from vastly different walks of life, and one example of an incredibly different organism that has holes. What gives?

Cellulose! A third material! The primary building block of plants! It can form hard surfaces like bark and thorns, and in thinner structures, provide a stable yet flexible shape in leaves! It can even be formed into hair like structures for capturing moisture, pollen, and even prey!

While I'm not aware of any real world examples of hole formation from keratin or chitin, their diverse utilization as well as that of cellulose leads me to believe it's possible that one in either could form under the right conditions. So while her mane is soft and pliable in a way that it can be combed or blow in a breeze, it has a structure too it that will want to return to a set shape unless otherwise damaged.

That is the HOW, but what of the WHY?

Chrysalis and the other Changelings are not Monstera, at least not the plant. They have no need to let water, air, or light pass through their manes and limbs, particularly with their shapeshifting capabilities. Is there anything else in MLP that is riddled with holes?

The Changeling Hive! It's ever changing structure traps and confuses would be trespassers, dettering entry. By mimicking their home, they're better able to blend in with it, whether as a defense for a lone sentry, or a stealthy meanuever by a whole group.

The holes serve a purpose outside of the hive as well! They come off as strange and unatural, in part because of our unfamiliarity with much if anything else like it. The absence of something that should be there is unsettling, and will confuse those who encounter a changeling in its original true form. Any familiarity with the hive will also add an intimidation factor, as it indicates the potential threat a changeling poses, and the chance others may be nearby. The openess of their differing appearance may cause an adversary to reconsider their next action. Threat displays are all the rage.

At last, there is the most practical aspect that may come with holes. When changing, all that mass has to go somewhere. Some can be overlapped and condensed down for smaller transformations, but other times it must be stretched and inflated to take up greater space! The holes may serve as storage and structure in both instances. Permitting growth and shrinkage with ease.

As for the reformed hive members,  with an ample food supply, these pockets may serve as a food reservoir.