Carnephaga anthropodermis (Green Maw/Human Flesh-Eater) is a colonial organism that thrives in the microhabitats of dense human populations. This is because C. anthropodermis is a mesoscopic detritivore and feeds on the keratinized tissue of humans. To break down the discarded human shed, it secretes a mild keratin-dissolving enzyme similar to dermatophytic fungi.

 

Evolving from the Forest Flesh-Eater (C. silvatica), the species diverged following widespread urban expansion and the rise of human populations. Over time, C. anthropodermis lost dependence on decaying carcasses on the forest floor and became an obligate consumer of human epidermal detritus. Genetic drift and adaptive radiation within urban environments cemented its new lineage.
 

Within the context of the museum, the Green Maw challenges the traditional relationship between viewer and specimen. Here, the organism is not a passively observed object but is feeding from those who touch it. The viewer consumes C. anthropodermis while C. anthropodermis consumes the viewer, collapsing the power hierarchy within museum spaces.