All Hail the Emperor

What am I looking at?

This is the face of the caterpillar of a giant emperor moth, also known as a great peacock moth (Saturnia pyri). You can see numerous light blue spiked tubercles covering its body (1); their purpose is to discourage predators. It also has feet encircled by gripping hooks called crochets (2), and chewing mandibles (3) powered by large muscles that occupy most of the head capsule. 

Click on the right arrow to see some images of the adult moth.

Biology in the background

The giant emperor moth can be found in most of southern Europe but only as far north as the Czech and Slovak Republics; it is the largest moth in Europe. At the caterpillar stage, it feeds mainly on plants in the rose family (Rosaceae), like apples, pears, cherries, and almonds. It undergoes five larval stages and then pupates, wrapping itself in a cocoon of coarse brown silk. It overwinters in its chrysalis and then emerges as an adult in mid-April to late June. These moths do not eat in the adult stage, concentrating solely on mating. Once they have mated, the females lay their eggs in early summer and the caterpillars hatch within 11 to 20 days.

These caterpillars can grow up to 120 millimeters long, or roughly the length of a human palm. And an adult moth of the species has a wingspan of up to 20 centimeters (8 inches), or roughly the length of a whole human hand.

Technique

These images were created using macrophotography.