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Mating Polyphemus Moths

Posted by bugman August 8th, 2006 at 12:00 am

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Giant Silk Moths

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MOTHS MATING what are they
Good morning,
My son stumbled upon these two while mating. Might I add, they scared the living daylights out of him (he’s 20 months old) He screamed bloody murder! I went to see what in the world would make him scream like that and found the pair on the ground mating. Thay were the size of luna moths and look similar but the coloration was different. Any idea what they are? I went back out with a tape measure to measure wingspan but they already taken flight. I would guess about 5 inches across. Thanks,
Marla and the scared 20 month old in Georgia

Hi Marla,
Those eyespots are designed to frighten predators, and young children are not exempt. These mating Saturnid Moths are Polyphemus Moths, our featured insect for July. You can still see a beautiful specimen posted on our homepage.

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