Moth wings are covered in fur-like scales, which help protect them from bats. The scales help muffle a bat’s echolocation to make it more difficult for the bats to hunt and eat moths. Thomas Neil, of the University of Bristol, calls this “acoustic camouflage.” (source: Atlas Obscura)
When an Elephant Hawk-moth caterpillar feels threatened, its body swells up to the shape of a snake's head with two huge black markings like beady eyes. (source: Butterfly Conservatory)
Moths have been seen using their barbed proboscis to drink from the eyes of a sleeping bird. Moths and butterflies are known to be fond of any animal secretion containing salt and protein; however, drinking the tears of sleeping birds is uncommon, and there have only been a handful of documented sightings of this behavior. (source: Smithsonian)
Many adult moths don’t eat, and some moths don’t even have mouths. For example, the Rosy Maple moth does not have a mouth. It eats during its caterpillar stage, while the adult moth’s only life purpose is mating. (source: Nature)
Moth antennae have excellent scent receptors; a male moth can smell a female’s sex hormones more than 7 miles away. (source: LiveScience)
Scientists consider moths to be indicator species, meaning they reflect how well the ecosystem is doing. (source: Butterfly Conservatory)
About 0.5% of lepidopterans are aquatic or semi-aquatic. Most only experience the ability to live underwater at certain stages of development. (source: Journal)
In a measure of long-distance migration, some migratory moths can be faster or as fast as most songbirds. The silver Y moth (Autographa gamma) can fly speeds ranging from 18 to 40 miles per hour. (source: Smitshsonian)
Night-flying moths can be lured and caught with a mixture of beer, brown sugar, and ripe banana spread onto tree bark. (source: TNC)
Caterpillars can have up to 4,000 muscles in its body, compared to the 650 that humans have. (source: AZ Animals)