Response To Threats
The Polyphemus Moth uses defence mechanisms to protect itself from predators. One of its most distinctive mechanisms is a distraction pattern that serves to confuse, or simply distract, predators. This involves the large eyespots on its hindwings, which give the Polyphemus its name (from the Cyclops Polyphemus in Greek mythology). Eyespots are also startle patterns, a subform of distraction patterns, used for camouflage via deceptive and blending coloration. Most startle patterns are brightly colored areas on the outer body of already camouflaged animals. (Another example of the use of startle patterns is the gray tree frog, with its bright yellow leggings. When it leaps, a flash of bright yellow appears on its hindlegs, usually startling the predator away from its prey.) It is believed that distraction patterns are a form of mimicry, meant to misdirect predators by markings on the moths' wings.
Read more about this topic: Antheraea Polyphemus
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