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.” (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. (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 specifically uncommon, and there have only been a handful of documented sightings of this behavior. (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. (Nature)
Moth antennae have excellent scent receptors; a male moth can smell a female’s sex hormones more than 7 miles away. (LiveScience)
Scientists consider moths to be indicator species, meaning they reflect how well the ecosystem is doing. (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. (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. (Smitshsonian)
Night-flying moths can be lured and caught with a mixture of beer, brown sugar, and ripe banana spread onto tree bark. (TNC)
Caterpillars can have up to 4,000 muscles in its body, compared to the 650 that humans have. (AZ Animals)
