Polyphemus Moth

giant moths · North America · insects

Massive eyespots. The Polyphemus moth has huge purple spots on its back wings that look just like giant eyes. These fake eyes scare away predators by making the moth look like a much bigger, scarier animal.

Tan and enormous. This moth is one of the biggest silk moths in North America, with wings that span about 6 inches across. Its tan color helps it blend in with tree bark during the day.

Named after a cyclops. The moth gets its name from Polyphemus, a one-eyed giant from ancient Greek mythology. Scientists thought the eyespots resembled the cyclops's giant single eye.

Spread across North America. You can find Polyphemus moths almost everywhere in North America, from the frozen forests of Canada all the way down to most of the United States. The only places where they don't live are Arizona and Nevada.

Silk moth family. Polyphemus moths belong to the Saturniidae family, which are sometimes called giant silk moths because their caterpillars produce silky cocoons.