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STRANGE HUMMINGBIRD HAWK MOTH - 1
The Amazing Hummingbird Hawk Moth It hovers, it hums but it is not a hummingbird. Take a look at one of, if not the most amazing, then certainly the coolest insects on the planet The Hummingbird Hawk Moth. You hear a humming sound- Is it a bird, is it a plane? At the risk of sounding frivolous it is difficult not to get excited at the sight of one of these astounding creatures. From a distance you would be forgiven and this is no accident if you thought that a host of hummingbirds had alighted in your garden. However, closer inspection would reveal a surprising lack of avian characteristics and you would be forced to re-assess the situation. With no legs or claws and certainly no beak what you have here is a moth. No ordinary moth either just take a look at that tongue, that isnt actually a tongue. You may well ask, if it isnt a tongue then what on earth is it? There arent many if any tongues that can do that and it has a different function. What that amazing body part is called is a proboscis. That is the name given to an extended appendage from the head of an animal, even an insect such as this. This elongated organ is for sucking (more about that later) and it is also known as a haustellum. It is made up of two tubes that are held together by hooks. Strangely (and even scarily) enough these tubes can be separated unhooked when the moth needs to clean it. Each tube is concave on the inner side and this means that when they come together they form a central tube and this is what the Hummingbird Hawk Moth (Latin name Macroglossum stellatarum) uses to suck up pollen as well as moisture. How is the suction actually made, though? This is where the physiology of the Hummingbird Hawk Moth gets a little more bizarre. It has a sac in its head and it contacts and expands this sac. When this happens the suction simply happens. Most Lepidoptera (the order of animals in which both moths and butterflies belong) have this type of proboscis. Some though, do not have mouth parts at all and so do not feed in the imago (the adult form). There are some though that have mouth parts which are used to chew. The Hummingbird Hawk Moth, though, uses its proboscis and it is a hungry insect indeed. Dont moths come out only at night though? That is how we usually think of moths but many species are diurnal (which means they go out in daylight). The Hummingbird Hawk Moth goes out at both dusk and at dawn but it is regularly seen flying around during the day, particularly when the sun is shining brightly. What is a little different from other moths is that it will not avoid rain and is quite happy flying during a spell of aqueous precipitation, unless it is too heavy. It has been studied a great deal and it seems that this species of moth has a pretty good ability when it comes to learning colors important so it can get to its favored food sources. 
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