This giant silk moth, Polyphemus, is named for the mythical Cyclops because of their startlingly large eyespots. This confuses predators into thinking they are a larger creature like an owl and avoid them. As they grow to maturity, they eat 86,000 times their weight, which goes a long way to explaining their large wingspan of 6 inches or more. At a distance, seeing them flutter in the dark with their fuzzy bodies and enormous wings, it is easy to mistake them for magical nocturnal visitors from another world.
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