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Sticker of Death's-head hawk-moth
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Death's-head hawk-moth

Acherontia atropos
Name means: “named after the skull-like pattern on its back; atropos comes from a Greek goddess linked with death”
Eats: Nectar and pollenMothsGardens and meadows6 legs

The death's-head hawk-moth is a huge moth with a pattern on its back that looks like a little skull. Its front wings are brown and its back wings are bright yellow with dark stripes. It can even squeak when it is upset.

Lives in
Southern Europe and much of Africa. It also flies north to Britain and sometimes even past the Arctic Circle
Length
13 to 15 cm (5.1 to 5.9 in)
the caterpillar
Wingspan
8 to 12 cm (3.1 to 4.7 in)
Top speed
about 55 km/h (34 mph)
Flying, estimate
Can it hurt you?
Harmless
Harmless. The skull is just a pattern, and the moth cannot bite or sting.
What does it eat?
It is famous for sneaking into honey bee hives to steal honey.
For real!Photo of Death's-head hawk-moth
Picture by Didier Descouens. CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

How big is it?

How long is it?

Death's-head hawk-moth about 15 cm long (5.9 in)A crayon about 9 cm (3.5 in)A banana about 18 cm (7.1 in)A house cat about 50 cm (20 in)

How wide are its wings?

Death's-head hawk-moth wings about 12 cm tip to tip (4.7 in)A toy building brick about 3.2 cm (1.3 in)A crayon about 9 cm (3.5 in)A banana about 18 cm (7.1 in)
as long as 5 toy building bricks in a rowabout as long as your handwings as wide as your handcould fly across a whole football pitch in 6.9 secondsmoves 100 times its own body length every second

How big is Death's-head hawk-moth compared to YOU?

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How fast is it?

cool stuff

Fun facts

1

It squeaks by sucking in air and letting it out past a little flap in its throat. Very few moths can make sounds this way.

2

Its squeak may sound like the call of a queen bee, which could help it sneak into beehives.

3

Turn a picture of it upside down and its markings look like the face of an animal with eyes and a nose.

4

Its caterpillar is giant, up to 15 centimetres long, with seven blue stripes and a curved horn at the back.

5

It is such a strong flier that it has been found on ships far out at sea.

you asked

Most asked questions about Death's-head hawk-moth

?Is the death's-head hawk-moth dangerous?

No. Despite the skull pattern and the spooky name, it is completely harmless.

?Why does the death's-head hawk-moth have a skull?

It is a pattern of yellowish hairs on its back that just happens to look like a skull.

?How big is the death's-head hawk-moth?

Its wings are 8 to 12 centimetres across. It is the biggest moth found in Britain.

For bug experts

Scientific name
Acherontia atropos
Named by
Linnaeus, 1758
Group
Moths
Family
Sphingidae
Classification
Insecta > Lepidoptera > Sphingidae
Lives on
Europe, Africa
Also known as
African death's-head hawkmoth

Where the facts come from

  1. Acherontia atropos (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0): what it looks like, where it lives, what it eats, sizes and fun facts, retold in simple words.
  2. Picture by Didier Descouens. CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons. The round sticker of this bug is cut from the same picture.

If we got something wrong, sorry, we are bug fans, not a science journal. Tell us at [email protected] and we will fix it.

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