by Hummingbird hawk-moths use continuous visual feedback to precisely position their proboscis in the center of flowers.
This fascinating creature looks like a hummingbird, but it's actually a moth.
It even hovers in a way reminiscent of hummingbirds, with its wings fluttering so fast they produce an audible hum — a striking example of convergent evolution.
It beats its wings around 85 times per second — more than some species of hummingbird, according to PBS Nature.
The hummingbird hawk-moth is partial to flowers with tube-shaped petals and uses its long, curled proboscis — an elongated sucking mouthpart — to extract nectar from the flower's center.
Its proboscis is almost as long as its entire body and is kept curled up when not in use.
Source
This fascinating creature looks like a hummingbird, but it's actually a moth.
It even hovers in a way reminiscent of hummingbirds, with its wings fluttering so fast they produce an audible hum — a striking example of convergent evolution.
It beats its wings around 85 times per second — more than some species of hummingbird, according to PBS Nature.
The hummingbird hawk-moth is partial to flowers with tube-shaped petals and uses its long, curled proboscis — an elongated sucking mouthpart — to extract nectar from the flower's center.
Its proboscis is almost as long as its entire body and is kept curled up when not in use.
Source
(Image credit: Daniel Dunca/Shutterstock)
