Elephant in the room

The moth named after its trunk-like caterpillar

Ben Hoare

AUGUST TRADITIONALLY SEES A FLURRY of messages to BBC Wildlife with readers wanting to know the identity of a strange miniature snake in their gardens. The serpent usually turns out to be an elephant hawkmoth caterpillar, which does look a bit like a small, fat snake, albeit with six tiny legs under the head and several stumpy ‘sort-of’ legs (called prolegs) further along its body. The spectacular larva sports a pair of enormous false black eyes, an adaptation to spook birds and other predators, and has a horn at its rear end. One reason people tend to notice this beast, size apart, is that it takes to wandering over lawns, paths and patios. Another is that, after a summer spent munching on the leaves of rosebay willowherb or fuschia, the…

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Bbc Wildlife (Digital) - 1 Issue, August 2024

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