The picture shows what looks like a large spider with massive wings and two long feelers sat on a red brick wall.
But despite its appearance in the image, the Antheraea Polyphemus is not a tarantula or a spider of any kind.
It is actually a type of giant silk moth native to North America, with local populations found throughout central Canada and the United States.
It is tan-coloured and has a typical wingspan of around six inches.
Its most distinctive feature is the large purplish eyespots on each of its rear wings.
The spot gives the species the name Polyphemus, which is also the name of a cyclops from Greek mythology.
The species was first described by Pieter Cramer in 1776.
The Polyphemus moth uses defense mechanisms to protect itself from predators.
One of its most distinctive mechanisms is a distraction display that serves to confuse, or simply distract, predators. This involves the large eyespots on its hindwings, which give the moth its name.
Newly-hatched caterpillars eat their eggshells, and caterpillars of all ages are solitary.
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Source: The Sun, Butterflies And Moths, Pnwmoths, Wikipedia
But despite its appearance in the image, the Antheraea Polyphemus is not a tarantula or a spider of any kind.
It is actually a type of giant silk moth native to North America, with local populations found throughout central Canada and the United States.
It is tan-coloured and has a typical wingspan of around six inches.
Its most distinctive feature is the large purplish eyespots on each of its rear wings.
The spot gives the species the name Polyphemus, which is also the name of a cyclops from Greek mythology.
The species was first described by Pieter Cramer in 1776.
One of its most distinctive mechanisms is a distraction display that serves to confuse, or simply distract, predators. This involves the large eyespots on its hindwings, which give the moth its name.
Newly-hatched caterpillars eat their eggshells, and caterpillars of all ages are solitary.
Older caterpillars eat an entire leaf and then cut the leaf petiole at the base so it falls to the ground, perhaps a defensive measure to eliminate signs of feeding.
The larve has a large bright green body, with the base of the setae red in coloration. The head and true legs are brown. The prolegs have yellow coloration with black tips.
The caterpillar can eat 86,000 times its weight at emergence in a little less than two months.
The larve has a large bright green body, with the base of the setae red in coloration. The head and true legs are brown. The prolegs have yellow coloration with black tips.
The caterpillar can eat 86,000 times its weight at emergence in a little less than two months.
Source: The Sun, Butterflies And Moths, Pnwmoths, Wikipedia
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