What an interesting find on my walk today! And I love smartphones. They are smart enough to have a camera just when it is needed one! A caterpillar (or maybe better to call it larva because it's the offspring of a moth rather than a butterfly) of Elephant hawkmoth, Deilephila elpenor (Större snabelsvärmare). It's really hughe and it looks so cool with it's shape and colour. It has a long trunk-like nose and when it can sense danger it can withdraw its nose creating a much bigger head with two eye-like markings on either side of the head. It also swings irritated it's head back and forth and for sure I think it can scare off potential predators looking like a snake!
The elephant hawkmoth itself is also an interesting and really colourful insect, hairy, pink and olive green, but I didn't see any adults today. I might have better luck on that one if I get out at night 🙂
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Larva of elephant hawk-moth, looks like it has fingers and nails!
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When it can sense danger it can withdraw its nose creating a much bigger head with two eye-like markings on either side of the head, snake look-a-like!
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Deilephila elpenor, known as the Elephant Hawk-moth and in Swedish, Större snabelsvärmare
