#goat moth

@greencheekconure27primary submitted: Found what i'm pretty sure is a Cossus cossus (goat moth) caterpillar today :) I've seen these before but I was still startled by how big it is, it was the size of my thumb

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Did you know that the Goat Moth (Cossus cossus) smells like a goat, giving it its name?

Found in most of Europe, Asia, and northern Africa these large moths love humidity and spend much of their time near water sources.

The caterpillars develop very slowly, taking 3 to 4 years before it's ready to pupate.

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Orange belly! I let it out where I found it after I was done admiring it.

Goat Moth

Cossus cossus

From the cossidae family. They have a wingspan of 64-96 mm. They tend to inhabit riverbanks, fens, marshes, parkland, golf courses, hedgerows and woodland edges. They can be found in Northern Africa, Asia and Europe.

Wood Leopard Moth - Zeuzera pyrina

With numerous spots lining its scaled wings and its furry thorax, it's no wonder that this insect is commonly known as a Leopard Moth. While this specie is purely white-coated, other species with the Zeuzera genus that have more sandy-yellow coloration around the borders of the wings and thoracic hairs, further lending a resemblance to their namesake animal. A coat like this would look beautiful on a leucistic big cat, and it certainly allows this Moth to stand out against other similar-looking species belonging to different families. To be sure you've found one of these Moths in North America (today's specimen was photographed in Europe), take your time while examining your find. While there's no chance that one could confuse this Leopard Moth for something like a white Ermine Moth (whose spots are much smaller), there's always the possibility that you've found a Giant Leopard Moth (Hypercompe spp. which aren't actually Leopard Moths). Specifically, Hypercompe Moths commonly display spotted wings, but many of the spots along the wings are distinctively large and hollow. This should be a big help should you find a similar Moth in your garden - this specie originally called Eurasia home and was introduced to North America - but there are other key identification markers to look for.

Try and obtain a glimpse of the abdomen while your mystery Moth is at rest. Wood Leopard Moths have a black abdomen with white plumage while Hypercompe Moths have a abdomen of dark-blue with yellow/orange banding. You can actually see a bit of the former abdomen poking out from behind the wings. Furthermore, the legs of Hypercompe Moths have distinct patches of white (look to the femur and tibia), while true Leopard Moth legs are all black. Finally, the Hypercompe Moths are actually Tiger Moths (sorted into the family Erebidae) while the Wood Leopard belongs to the family Cossidae (Carpenter Moths). This may be a lot of information to take in at once, but Moth identification from just a picture can be very tricky, so you'll need the best angles and all the information you can capture to determine which Moth has visited you today/tonight. For today, this specimen is a male...as you could probably guess from the feathered antennae which pick up the alluring pheromones of female Moths (which lack the combs). Interestingly, this specie has only partially feathered antennae, with the rest of the antenna being serrated. It could be that this allows the antenna tips to function better as "feelers", but it could also be that the Moth simply doesn't need so many combs to sense pheromones. Whatever the answer, it certainly gives this specie a unique look.