Question

A moth sits camouflaged on a tree trunk. When disturbed, it opens its wings and two large eyespots appear. These:

a. startle the predator
b. camouflage the moth (by looking like holes in leaves)
c. act as distraction (deflection) patterns
d. both (a) and (c)
e. all of the above

Answer 1

Eyespots on a moth's wings are mostly meant to startle predators and serve as distraction patterns, making answer (d) both (a) and (c) correct.

Step-by-step explanation:

When a moth with eyespots is disturbed and reveals these patterns, the most likely effects are to startle the predator and act as distraction patterns. Eyespots can make the predator hesitate or focus on attacking the non-vital part of the moth's body, such as the tip of the wings, rather than the body. Therefore, the correct answer is d. both (a) startle the predator and (c) act as a distraction (deflection) pattern.