Caterpillar or Viper?

Hawk months are also known as sphinx months and hummingbird months because their rapid flying and hovering resembles a bird in flight. However, hawk moth caterpillars of some Central American species imitate a completely different animal – a snake! And that too, a deadly pit viper!

When startled, the caterpillar retracts its legs and puffs out the segments on the front of its body. It displays hitherto-hidden yellow, white and black spots. The spots are eye-like and its skin has a scaly, reptilian look, it even elongates itself, rearing up like a snake!

Found mainly in Belize, Guatemala and Costa Rica, the caterpillar lives from ten to thirty days and it dons the pit viper disguise for the brief time it is moulting. Its natural pattern of green and brown provides it perfect camouflage in its rainforest habitat. Mimicking a snake helps it fool hungry birds that might otherwise make a meal of it.

Leopard Crab

The spots on a leopard’s coat is called ‘disruptive colouration’. The pattern provides camouflage by breaking up the animals outlines.

The leopard crab has spots on its carapace that serve the same purpose! Leopard crabs normally stay half-buried in the sediment on the see floor. Their spots make it more difficult for a predator to find them.

Alligator Bug

The alligator bug, also called the peanut bug, has a large hollow structure on top of its head, measuring around 15 mm. It looks like eyes on top of an elongated jaw- but its actual eyes are located at the back! To a predator, such as a bird, it resembles its namesake reptile too closely for comfort.

When threatened, the alligator bug opens its wings to display startling yellow eyespots that make it look larger and oozes a substance that smells  so vile, its attacker turns tail.