Penn biologist says fake eyes have enabled tropical caterpillars to thrive

Thirty-two years ago, Penn biologist Daniel Janzen broke some ribs falling into a ravine in the Area de Conservacion Guanacaste in northwestern Costa Rica. Sore and unable to leave his chair beneath a 25-watt light bulb deep in the forest, Janzen began to study the moths attracted to the dim light. What resulted was more than three decades of work collecting, photographing and raising caterpillars into adults, then identifying each of the species, half of which had never been described before. The operation continues to this day, 365 days a year, with the help of 33 trained Costa Rican assistants.

Biology and Management of Insect Pests

Biology and Management of Insect Pests

On the Subject of Nature: Caterpillars, Caterpillars, and More Caterpillars

Caterpillar I met on the trail. Those are his fake eyes to deter birds. : r/mildlyinteresting

Which local or exotic insect has really left you speechless? - Quora

Coccinella septempunctata (seven-spot ladybird)

Terrifying predator eyes - hunting - The Caterpillar Lab

Butterfly Conservation - Moths are often misunderstood, but they hold vital roles in the wildlife ecosystem. #MothsMatter #WildlifeDay Although many people overlook them, moths are numerous and widespread, with over 2,500 species

What Meets The Eye May Not Actually Be An Eye, At the Smithsonian

First record of parasitism in soldier flies by tachinids: Lixophaga stratiophaga Gudin, sp. nov. (Diptera: Tachinidae), reared from Ptecticus testaceus (Fabricius) (Diptera: Stratiomyidae) in rainforest and updated catalogue of dipteran hosts

U.S. Department of the Interior - What big 👀 you have!? Those “eyes” aren't eyes at all. They're spots on the Spicebush Swallowtail caterpillar that help deter insects, birds and other predators.

Caterpillars Can “Blink” A Fake Eye