Spider – April 2019

(Marcin) #1

Unfortunately, this disguise isn’t
foolproof. At times, a sharp-eyed
predator will see right through the
disguise and dive down to grab a
peacock butterfly in its beak. With
an incredible sense of timing, the
butterfly waits until the last possible
moment before the bird closes in to
open its wings. Out flash the dual
pairs of eyespots, as large as the eyes
of an owl. At the same time, the
butterfly hisses by rubbing its wings
together. This surprising and scary
display often startles the bird into
flying off, and the butterfly lives to


see another day, thanks to its striking
eyespots.
The four-eyed frog of South
America uses a similar approach
to defend itself, but its eyespots are
located right on its bottom! When
a predator approaches, the frog will
turn around, bend over, and lift up
its rear end to expose the big, black
eyespots, transforming itself from a
tempting morsel to an eerie, creepy
face. Often, that’s enough to make
its enemy scramble away, but anyone
brave enough to continue pursuing
the frog is in for a dangerous surprise.

Bright eyespots and flashy colors. It’s easy to see where the peacock butterfly and peacock spider
got their names! The peacock spider even has a dance to show off its colorful look.


Peacock butterfly Peacock spider

C hecking the forewin s—
wings at the front—check.
Hind win s—wings
at the back—check.
Ready for takeoff. 13
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