To listen to this article, please select Control + Shift + Z to launch the pop-up player.

A-Z Animals - Animal Facts, Images and Resources

Animals >>

Moth

Add to Phobia Filter

Contribute

Listen

Moths are found all around the world and are closely related to the colourful butterfly. However, moths are not generally so brightly coloured as the butterfly as the moth is a nocturnal animal and so blends in to the darker surroundings.

There are thought to be up to 250,000 different species of moth throughout the world, and even more are believed to have not yet been discovered. Due to their nocturnal lifestyle, moths are known to be attracted to lights and are even believed to be able to fly in a straight line as the moths use the moon for navigation.

In the same remarkable way as a butterfly, the moth undergoes a stage of metamorphosis during its limited life cycle. The moth caterpillar is different from the butterfly type, it is more broad and some contain a stinger.

As with their butterfly cousins, moths are known to play a vital role in the pollination of plants as they flutter between them. Those plants that flower (bloom) during the night rely solely on moths and also bats to pollinate them. If the moth is distracted by an artificial light, it will in turn affect that reproduction of the plants that it helps to pollinate.

Moths are herbivorous animals and therefore survive on a plant-based diet. Moths predominantly drink the nectar from the plants using their long straw-like tongue and moths are also known to do a similar thing with sugary fruits and berries. The moth caterpillars, also still generally herbivores, eat a mixture of plants and leaves and some species also eat insects.

The moth has numerous natural predators throughout the world that include birds, bats, reptiles, amphibians, rodents and even other insects and larger spiders.

All around the world, both moths and their caterpillars are known to be a pest, particularly to farmers as the caterpillars munch through their crop. Moths are renowned for the larvae becoming a pest by eating through fabrics, the moth seems to mainly go for the delicate silk. Moths are known to make holes in household fabrics like blinds and curtains.

Post Comment

Article Tools

	Print Article View printer friendly version of Moth article.
	Listen to Article Listen to audio version of Moth article. Hot key: + +

Moth Facts

Kingdom: A level of classifying all living things on earth, as similar species are broken into 5 groups including plants, animals and fungi....	Animalia
Phylum: A level of classifying animals within the animal kingdom. Phylum are further divided into subgroups called classes....	Arthropoda
Class: A level of classifying animals in a phylum. Classes are then sub-divided into further groups known as orders....	Insecta
Order: A level used to classify animals. Classes are broken into sub-groups known as order, which are broken down further into families....	Lepidoptera

Common Name:	Moth
Scientific Name:	Gynnidomorpha Alisman
Diet:	Herbivore
Size:	0.6-30cm (0.2-12in)
Number of Species:	9,000
Average Life Span:	40 days
Conservation Status: The conservation status of a species is an indicator of the likelihood of that species remaining extant either in the present day or the near future. Many factors are taken into account when assessing the conservation s...	Threatened

Colour:	Red, Black, Yellow, Orange, Brown, White
Skin Type:	Hair
Favourite Food:	Nectar
Habitat: The term habitat is used to describe a specific area where a particular animal lives, within an environment. Many animals have adapted to requiring specific conditions which can only be found in their natural habitat su...	Quiet forests and pastures
Average Litter Size:	100
Main Prey: When an animal is referred to prey, it means that the animal is either hunted or caught for food. Animals that are referred to as prey are generally hunted by bigger animals, although there are a number of exceptions....	Nectar, Fruits, Natural Fabrics
Predators: When an animal is referred to as a predator, it means that the animal either hunts or catches other animals. Predatory animals are generally dominant within their environment and will generally hunt animals smaller than...	Birds, Bats, Lizards, Spiders
Special Features:	Long, curled tongue and delicate, patterned wings

Related Animals

	Insect There are an estimated 30 million species!
	Butterfly There are thought to be up 20,000 species!
	Caterpillar The larvae of a moth or butterfly!