Transcript:

Today on Animal Fact Files we’re discussing owlet moths. These invertebrates are also known as cutworms, armyworms, and loopers but these names are often applied to their larvae. Cutworms get their name because they eat newly formed plant shoots and literally cut them down to nothing but a nub. They come up from the ground at night and eat the fresh greens so that by morning farmers are left with nothing but dismay. Armyworms get their common name from their large aggregations on corn crops. It's like an invading army, a hungry invading army.  Loopers get their common name for a less nefarious reason. Owlet moth caterpillars are often green or brown in color, though some species are more extravagant. Anyway, the loopers are green and small and look a lot like inchworms. This is aided by their style of movement. They loop their bodies around much like an inching inchworm, so they often get confused. An inchworm typically has fewer feet in the middle section of its body when compared to a looper, and the lack of feet is the reason both these arthropods move about the way they do.

Owlet moths get the bird-inspired name because their family name means "little owl". We also like to think that the eyespots on the wings of some adults look like owl eyes. What do you think? Owlet moth adults are both nocturnal and diurnal. Yes, some moth species can be daytime dwellers (and some butterflies are night fliers, too!). Nocturnal owlet moths tend to be drab in color while diurnal adults have more color.

This family of moths is massive. As of this recording there are somewhere between ten and twenty thousand owlet moth species, which means there is a ton of diversity among these arthropods. It would be impossible to discuss all the fabulous species in a single video, but we hope this will at least provide somewhat of an overview - at least until their classification changes again.

Owlet moths live worldwide with the exception of Antarctica. That does, in fact, mean that these insects live in the Arctic. They range from low savannahs to high mountains and inhabit just about every type of environment… besides… like… underwater. 

While this is also true of other moth species, owlet moths in particular have reflective eyes, so their eyes glow orange when exposed to light at night. Owlet moths average about two to three inches (5-8cm) in wingspan as adults, though some are much larger. Predators to these insects include bats, birds, reptiles, and small mammals, but the moths have some defenses against these threats. Adults can pick up on the calls of echolocating bats and avoid them. Some also give off foul-tasting chemicals to deter predation! 

While many owlet moth caterpillars are considered pests, they don't all attack human-grown crops. Some species eat mushrooms, lichen, or even algae that grows on rocks and trees. Plus, the adults are beneficial as pollinators. They eat nectar, rotting fruit, tree sap, and more! 

These moths lay batches of eggs that change color as they develop over the course of about a week. The young caterpillars emerge and go about eating whatever edible foods they can find, including their own egg shells! Once they reach an appropriate size, typically after a few molts, they enter a pupal stage from which the adult will later emerge.

For more facts on owlet moths, check out the links below. Give a thumbs up if you learned something new today. Thank you to our Patrons SpikeSpiegel93, Dad, and everyone else for their support of this channel! And thank you for watching Animal Fact Files!