The Lunar Moth

The luna moth has spots on its wings. People think they look like moons (luna means "moon"). To other animals, however, these spots look like eyes.

Having spots that look like eyes is good for the luna moth. Other animals see these spots and get scared. They think they belong to a larger animal. This helps the luna moth not get eaten. It may also trick other animals into attacking a wing instead of the body.

Like the butterfly, the luna moth begins life as a caterpillar. But it doesn't stay that way. After a while, it moves into a cocoon. Inside, it changes from a caterpillar into a moth.

The adult luna moth may grow up to 41/2 inches from wingtip to wingtip. That makes it one of the largest moths in North America. Although the luna moth is large, its life is short. A luna moth lives just 7 to 10 days. Interestingly, it doesn't eat or drink anything that whole time. Instead, it lives on energy it stored as a caterpillar.