Elephant hawk-moth
Adult elephant hawk-moths are quite a common sight May-July across the UK. Frank Lees bred this moth from a larva between 1927 and 1928. It emerged as an adult July 1928.
The caterpillar (larva) looks a little like an elephant’s trunk. It would make a tasty snack for a foraging bird but it has alarming eye spots and by rearing up and retracting its head it tricks the bird into thinking it is a snake.
The caterpillar (larva) looks a little like an elephant’s trunk. It would make a tasty snack for a foraging bird but it has alarming eye spots and by rearing up and retracting its head it tricks the bird into thinking it is a snake.
Object Summary
- Accession Loan No.
- 9/1997/32
- Collection Class
- Arthropods
- Collection Area Region
- Northern Europe
- Collector Excavator
- Devonshire Association (from the collection of): Lees, Mr Frank H
- Common Name
- elephant hawk-moth
- Simple Name
- insect: moth
- Period Classification
- Inter War (1918-1939); Modern (1900-)
