When you’re an easy target for any number of predators the ability to turn yourself into a snake is a handy one. The snake mimic caterpillar (Hameroplanes triptolemus) is also to do just that. What threatened it pulls in its legs and head and expands the front part of its body to take on the appearance of a serpent. The brown head of this ‘snake’ is actually the underside of the caterpillar. If the “deadly” costume isn’t enough to deter a predator, the caterpillar might also strike to enhance the effect.
Hemeroplanes belongs to the Sphingidae family, found in many parts of South America, Africa and Central America. Upon closer inspection, however, one will see that this ‘snake’ is abnormally short in length; and while its topside looks pretty non-descript, the Hemeroplanes caterpillar has the ability to put on a snake disguise at the moment it feels threatened.
Many animals have conspicuous eye-like spots on their body. In most animals these ‘eyespots’ are thought to intimidate predators from attacking or deflect the predator strikes away from vulnerable body parts. That ‘eyespots’ could help prey by resembling the eyes of a predator’s own enemies is thought to be particularly true for butterfly and moth caterpillars. Caterpillars with eyespots are often cited to be snake mimics that startle attacking birds which mistake them for dangerous snakes.
Picture Credit : Google