From: BrightSpark
Newsgroups: alt.binaries.pictures.artpics,alt.binaries.pictures.animals
Subject: Gone Buggy - #1 - Hawkmoth Caterpillar
Date: Thu, 31 Aug 2000 05:24:29 GMT

>From a National Geographic Young Explorers book, "How Animals Behave."

filename="bs-nat-Hawkmoth Caterpillar-hab-ngs.jpg"

"This is not the head of a snake but the tail of a caterpillar! In a moment of danger, the caterpillar puffs up its tail which is designed to look exactly like a snake's head and intimidates its enemies."

"The back of the hawk moth caterpillar actually looks like a snake's head. This is a frightening vision for most predators the moth would normally face. Mimicry is a different approach than ordinary camouflage, but it works toward the same outcome. By developing a certain appearance, an animal species makes itself a harder target for predators. In different areas around the world, you'll see all sorts of variations and combinations on the basic elements of camouflage. As animal species evolve, they become more and more in tune with their environment. Often, these sorts of adaptations are more effective survival tools than the sharpest teeth, claws and beaks could ever be. After all, being entirely overlooked by a predator is much better than having to put up a fight."