![]() ![]() If playing dead doesn't work in the face of danger, helmeted iguanas run away from predators on their hind legs. As one of the most biodiverse countries in the world, Costa Rica is home to more than 500,000 species, making up nearly four percent of species worldwide. Camouflaged ColorsĭeAndrade and his team have filmed 30 animals in somewhat controlled environments in preparation for the new season of Untamed, which celebrates Costa Rica's diverse wildlife species. In the clip, you can see the caterpillar munch a leaf, hang from foliage and-as DeAndrade is excited to say-excrete. The tour guides let the crew film the caterpillar for 15 minutes before escorting them away. ![]() When he got a little too close, the snake-like caterpillar felt his breath and jabbed at the air-the surprising, but harmless, strike sent DeAndrade reeling back. The sight of the bug sent him laughing and crying at the same time. "The first time I saw it, I was in complete and utter disbelief," DeAndrade says. As the crew members got closer to film it in 6K with their Hollywood-grade RED digital camera, the bug flared up and transformed into a "snake." The look is complete with eye-like spots, faux reptilian scales, and a convincing, serpentine curve.Īfter a 10-minute walk from the nearby ecolodge where DeAndrade was staying, the group found the caterpillar attached to a leaf. When startled, these crawlers can instantaneously transform into snake-like creatures, puffing out the front part of their bodies to rearrange their hidden yellow, white, and black spots. Specifically, they were on the hunt for a green morph of a hawk moth caterpillar that Stice had spotted previously. Then, they took DeAndrade and his filming partner McKenzie Barney to see a hawk moth. After an hour of watching Brazilian wandering spiders, coatis, and snakes, Stice and another guide dropped off the other guests. (Related: get a behind-the-scenes look at the groundbreaking series)Īfter spending a day filming sharks, humpback whales, dolphins, manta rays, and "charismatic megafauna" in Costa Rica's Osa Peninsula for the show's upcoming second season, DeAndrade ventured out into the surrounding rainforest on a moonlight tour led by biologist Tracie " the Bug Lady" Stice. But it took a caterpillar to knock the passionate filmmaker off his feet. He lived out of a repurposed ambulance for months during filming for the first season of the wildlife series, and he's gotten within arm's reach of lions in South Africa, stalked turtle hatchlings in Florida, and had multiple close encounters with crocodiles during filming. But luckily, it was only a caterpillar.įilipe DeAndrade, a filmmaker and host of National Geographic Wild's Untamed, has seen it all. ![]() These moths are particularly fond of nectar-rich flowers and they can be seen feeding on flowers such as marigolds (which was where I took these photographs).If it was a snake, it would have bitten them. Hummingbird hawk-moths have been seen as a lucky omen! The British forces saw them flying on D-Day during the Second World War, and took it to be a sign of victory, which eventually proved true. It flies during the day, especially in bright sunshine, but also at sunset and sunrise…, and even in the rain! ![]() The moth’s long proboscis and its hovering behaviour, accompanied by an audible humming noise, make it look remarkably like a hummingbird while feeding on flowers. In our country, these moths can be found in the northern parts of the country during summer, and in the south, too, in winter. They belong to the family called “Sphingidae”. In India, this probably means that one is looking at a Hummingbird Hawk Moth! The scientific name for this small creature is Macroglossum stellatarum. However, even in urban gardens, one may find oneself looking at something that seems remarkably like a Hummingbird, and yet seems different. Our smallest birds are our Sunbirds and Flowerpeckers. A moth that looks like a tiny bird! India does not have Hummingbirds, those tiny creatures of the light and air that so delight those living or visiting abroad, especially the western coast of America. ![]()
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