I have been reading Niko Tinbergen's classic book Curious Naturalists in which he describes his research studying the behavior of various animals in their natural environment. Many of the chapters deal with the strategies caterpillars and moths use to avoid becoming prey - camouflage, mimicry, noxious hairs and unpalatable tastes.
As I was weeding the garden this past weekend, I came face to face with a Dusky Hooded Owlet Moth caterpillar (Cucullia intermedia). I must say that it was not hard to miss -- two to three inches long, the width of a pinky, dark black against the greenery and a row of orange spots that called out for attention.
What strategy was it using to avoid becoming someone's dinner. It certainly wasn't its coloration. It didn't look like anything else that was alive or dead in the garden. It did not have any blatant defenses -- no sharp spines or bristly hairs.
If its defense was that it leaves a foul taste in its predator's mouth, that would be an answer left to speculation...
