Page 171 - Atlas Of The World's Strangest Animals

DEATH’S HEAD HAWKMOTH 171

The death’s head hawkmoths has a short ‘proboscis’ (tubelike While other hawkmoths feed by sucking up nectar from
eating apparatus).This leaves it no choice: it must steal to live! flowers, the death’s head robs beehives of their honey.

The moth’s unusual death’s-head coloration and the high- Worker bees confuse the moths’ signals with those of
pitched squeaks it produces help to ensure that their break- their queen and won’t attack — leaving the death’s head
ins are successful. free to gorge!

requires a complete change of diet and lifestyle.As adults, The answer is simple. Once they reach adulthood, these
death’s heads lose the powerful mandibles they once used marvellous moths are in a race against the clock.They
to munch through greenery. In their place, they develop a live for only a short period of time and must mate
tonguelike proboscis, which is designed to suck up honey. before they die to ensure that their unique genes are
Fortunately, the moths’ strange markings and the curious passed on to the next generation.Their newly developed
squeaks they make (by blowing air through the proboscis) wings help to speed up the search for a mate, and death’s
enables them to steal all the honey they need from a hive. head moths use them to great effect. In fact, members of
No one knows for sure, but these ‘disguises’ seem to the hawkmoth family (Sphingidae) are some of the fastest
confuse worker bees. It’s believed that the bees mistake moths in the world, reaching speeds of up to 48.3km/h
the moths for their own queen, which is why they don’t (30mph) as they flit amongst the foliage.The only
attack when the intruders come looking for a sweet treat. problem is that flying requires a lot of energy.
But why should death’s head moths need such a rich Thankfully, there are fewer sources of food as calorie-
source of energy when potato leaves previously provided rich as honey!
them with enough fuel to transform from larvae to adult?

(c) 2011 Marshall Cavendish. All Rights Reserved.