Owl Butterfly

• GeneralThe great eyespots on its wings mimic an owl's eyes to startle predators.
• What its eyespots are actually for is still debated: they may mimic a predator's eye to startle birds, or deflect pecks towards the edge of the wing, away from the body.
• It does not take nectar from flowers: it sips the juice of fallen, rotting fruit, and can become intoxicated on the alcohol of fermentation.
• Its caterpillar is a pest in banana and sugar cane plantations, where it can strip whole plants of their leaves.
• The two huge eyespots on the underside of the hindwings mimic an owl's eyes, which is where the name comes from; they are thought to startle predators or deflect attacks away from the body.
• It does not visit flowers: it drinks the juice of fermenting fruit, above all banana, pineapple and mango, which is why it is attracted with fruit baits.
• It flies at dawn and dusk, when the daytime insect-eating birds have stopped and the bats are not yet out.
• The caterpillar reaches 15 cm and eats banana and heliconia leaves; in Central and South America it is considered a pest of banana plantations.
• The chrysalis mimics a dead leaf flecked with gold.

Habitat & environment

Rainforest and banana plantations

Sources consulted: Universidad de las Indias Occidentales; Cambridge Butterfly Conservatory; Wikipedia (Caligo eurilochus)