How a moth uses an optical illusion to disguise itself as a leaf

 The fruit-sucking moth bears an uncanny resemblance to a leaf

Image courtesy of  Bridgette Gower.

Joel Kontinen

“A moth found in northern Australia and South-East Asia has an astonishing camouflage trick: it creates an optical illusion to look like a three-dimensional leaf, complete with a raised midrib, when it is actually smooth.

“If I gave you a specimen now, you wouldn’t believe it was flat,” says Jennifer Kelley at the University of Western Australia in Perth. “When we showed it to people, they were very confused by it. It really does not look flat.”

The smooth wings of fruit-sucking moths appear to be ridged like a leaf – but the resemblance is created by nanostructures that reflect light in an unusual way.

The fruit-sucking moth (Eudocima aurantia) resembles a leaf to fool predators, especially birds, into thinking it isn’t food. Although it was first described in 1877, until now this likeness was thought to be caused by pigments and the shape of its body.

In fact, the moth uses extremely sophisticated physics to give the impression it is a leaf, says Kelley.

This cannot be the result of evolution. This strategy is the result of intelligence design that God has provided for this species.

Source:

 James Woodford 2025 How a moth uses an optical illusion to disguise itself as a leaf | New Scientist 12 February