This Is Not A Snake! It's...

A moth larva. Specifically Hemeroplanes triptolemus I thought this was pretty cool and wanted to share with you all.

…a species of sphinx moth that is native to Mexico, Central America and parts of South America. The adults of this species are fairly normal as far as sphinx moths go, but their larvae are extraordinary. H.triptolemus larvae are snake mimics and fairly good ones at that, as their ‘butts’ have been modified to look like a snake complete with eyes and all. They are also able to expand their anterior segments to make ‘the head’ appear larger, and they will even strike (harmlessly) at potential predators to keep the mimic going.

H.triptolemus larvae are usually found feeding on M.trifida and adults will fly twice per year once from January to February and again from June to July. Source

Dear god, that is frightening looking, but also genius at the same time. The ways in which nature can adapt to almost any condition to survive never ceases to amaze me.

reply to post by fiendchikx138


I agree that it is awesome. Nature is an amazing thing.

It's super cool! But there was a thread posted about it already in March www.abovetopsecret.com...