Guardian Nature School Team Contact Blog Project Noah Facebook Project Noah Twitter

A worldwide community photographing and learning about wildlife

Join Project Noah!
nature school apple icon

Project Noah Nature School visit nature school

Oleander Hawk-moth Caterpillar

Daphnis nerii

Description:

What look like eyes are not eyes at all. They are skin patterns called ‘false eyes’ - adapted by these caterpillars as a defense against predators.

Habitat:

Urban garden on adenium (calachuchi) plant.

Notes:

Caterpillars have six pairs of simple eyes (ocelli). Ocelli (also called stemmata) are small, simple eyes that can detect changes in light intensity, but cannot form an image. Ocelli are composed of photoreceptors (light-sensitive cells) and pigments. Ocelli are usually located in two clusters of six eyes on the sides of a larva's head. *** Oleander Hawk Moth caterpillar turn to brown just before pupating.

Species ID Suggestions



Sign in to suggest organism ID

45 Comments (1–25)

maplemoth662
maplemoth662 6 years ago

A beautiful caterpillar....

irina
irina 10 years ago

awesome!

Thank you Jemma!

Hema  Shah
Hema Shah 10 years ago

lovely!!

ArvinMemaphu
ArvinMemaphu 10 years ago

wow!

Thank you JenniferRichardson!

JenniferRichardson
JenniferRichardson 10 years ago

Beautiful! Great photo!

Thanks so much Jakubko!

Jacob Gorneau
Jacob Gorneau 10 years ago

What a spectacular and daunting spotting of the day! Belated congratulations, Leana!

Thank you Adi! :)

Adarsha B S
Adarsha B S 10 years ago

Congos Leanna :) Very awesome :)

Thanks ceejayalyssa!
Thanks to you too Braulio!

Braulio Rivas Tapia
Braulio Rivas Tapia 10 years ago

Haha!
I thought it was an angry Snake!
Great series and congrats!

ceejayalyssa
ceejayalyssa 10 years ago

congratulations! well-deserved SOTD :) this is an excellent shot :)

Thanks everyone for your appreciation, congratulatory messages, faves and kind remarks. Getting an SOTD is awesome and this particular one is totally unexpected! :)

jamiewgoodspeed
jamiewgoodspeed 10 years ago

wow i saw that and i was like who posted iron man on a nature website?! he's cute. amazing caterpillar congrats!

albear1960
albear1960 10 years ago

Very nice series!

yeskay
yeskay 10 years ago

Congrats!

NuwanChathuranga
NuwanChathuranga 10 years ago

Congrats !

Jolly Ibañez
Jolly Ibañez 10 years ago

Congratulations Leana

The MnMs
The MnMs 10 years ago

Congratulations, is indeed a very unusual caterpillar :-)

LeanneGardner
LeanneGardner 10 years ago

Congratulations Leana on your SOTD. Lovely series :)

Sachin Zaveri
Sachin Zaveri 10 years ago

Congratulations Leana!

YukoChartraw
YukoChartraw 10 years ago

Iron Man indeed. Congratulations Leana!

AgnesAdiqueTalavera
AgnesAdiqueTalavera 10 years ago

Congrats Leana! :)

Nueva Ecija, Philippines

Spotted on Jul 12, 2013
Submitted on Jul 12, 2013

Related Spottings

Daphnis Nerii Daphnis minima Oleander Hawk Moth Oleander Hawk-moth

Nearby Spottings

Leafcutter Bee Peacock Pansy Convolvulus Hawk-moth Tailed Jay Caterpillar

Reference

Noah Guardians
Noah Sponsors
join Project Noah Team

Join the Project Noah Team