Range

Atlas moths live in south-east Asia. They range from India across to the Philippines and to the south through Indonesia.

Habitat

They make their home in forests and open, grassy areas.

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Reproduction

Adult atlas moths are fully focused on breeding. Males can detect the scent of a female from miles away using their feathery antenna. They will follow this to mate with her.

She will then deposit up to 250 eggs on the underside of a leaf which will provide food once the eggs hatch.

The caterpillars which hatch from the eggs can create a secretion which is believed to help defend them against predators.

They will then enter a cocoon. This cocoon is spun from brown silk and is highly durable. They spend a month here before emerging as an adult moth.

As an adult they will only live for 7 days and are immediately sexually mature.

Behavior

Males and females spend most of the time once they emerge from their cocoon attempting to find a mate with which they can breed.

Predators and Threats

They face predation from lizards and birds. One method of defense is to raise up the wing tips which appear to resemble a snake and this can scare away the predator.

The translucent patches on their wings may startle predators and may also lead to the predator attacking them on the wing where damage is not guaranteed to be fatal as it would be if they were bitten on the body.

Quick facts

In China they are known as the snakehead moth. This is a reference to the way that their curved wingtips resemble the head of a snake.

Atlas moth cocoons are used as purses in part of their range.

The name atlas moth comes from the Greek demigod who was said to carry the world on his shoulders.

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