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Peppered moth

From Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Peppered moth
Biston betularia betularia morpha typica
Not evaluated (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
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Binomial name
Biston betularia

The peppered moth (Biston betularia) is a species of night-flying moth. They are often used by educators as an example of natural selection: see peppered moth evolution.

The caterpillars of the peppered moth mimic the form and also the colour of the twig they rest on. The caterpillars can sense the twig’s colour with their skin and match their body colour to the background to protect themselves from predators.[1]

References

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  1. Eacock A., Rowland H.R., van’t Hof A.E., Yung C., Edmonds N., Saccheri I.J (2019). "Caterpillars of the peppered moth perceive color through their skin to match their body color to the background". Archived from the original on 2019-08-05. Retrieved 2019-08-02.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)