by Matthew Cobb
This photo from Martin Stevens aka @SensoryEcology.
New Year’s Eve quiz: spot the moth
December 31, 2013 • 4:37 am
Why Evolution is True is a blog written by Jerry Coyne, centered on evolution and biology but also dealing with diverse topics like politics, culture, and cats.
Got her. But I’d hate to do this for a living, as a bird.
So where is it? And you can see it well enough to know it’s female?! I’m impressed.
I see the face of the cat in one set of bumps, but no moth.
I found Jebus and his mom but no moth.
You’re right! It looks like a shower stall!
I found Jebus’ love child and also what I think may be the moth (it resembles a small profile of an African mask). It is on the most round of the tree’s bumps, on the middle left, lower right side of the bump.
that was what I thought too.
Where’s my picture of (I think) Biston betularia on granite?
Can’t see anything. Bloody tree’s in the way.
+1, lol
Blast :-). You got in before me.
OK, let’s have another guess, it’s on the double bump on the lower right, on the extreme lower left of the bump.
Bingo! I saw it too. 😀
It is just below the bump that looks like a skull spider: http://img835.imageshack.us/img835/607/zahs.jpg
So, what is my prize? 😉
The thing that looks like a tree trunk is in fact a close up of the proboscis of a giant mutant moth, the result of a 1950’s nuclear test that went disasterously wrong but was covered up by the US government.
See the three “bumps” in the central part of the picture that form a near equilateral triangle sitting upright, drop a vertical line down from the apex, the “blemish” on that line just below the base of the triangle.
Let’s make it simple:
http://img835.imageshack.us/img835/607/zahs.jpg
My directions aren’t the greatest, but the spot you are pointing out is not the same one I was trying to describe. I saw your spot too, and I think you probably have it. But, I am not sure so I nominated the other spot.
That’s simple? I still can’t see it.
It is inside the circle. Here is another picture without the circle and arrow:
http://img826.imageshack.us/img826/1035/ngg4.jpg
The “give away” is the frilly edge of the wings at the bottom of the wings.
Right on — look for the anomaly. Tough one, this.
Sadly this isn’t right, Vierotchka! The solution will be posted later.
There is a second one, therefore, exactly where I said. 😀
I think you’re almost right, and your circle bisects the moth at 12:00.
If that’s not it, I give up.
Actually, the triangle of bumps is slightly to the left, not centered.
This is what I was trying to describe. If that isn’t it, I am at a loss.
Well, that image sucks. You can just make out the triangle I meant and then take it from there on the original image above.
So Matthew, what’s the verdict? A 100%, or a big fat 8-1/2 x 11 inch 0?
Got it. Before coffee. Now I do not need coffee.
I say we dust off and nuke the tree from orbit. It’s the only way to be sure.
b&
+1 I thought it was the same as vierotchka & was quite pleased with myself.
Tell us Matthew! Tell us now! I hate the not knowing!
They mainly come at night, mainly.
My mommy always said there were no moths – no real ones – but there are.
For my 10 (euro) cents, you can’t beat taking out the star with a Thermostellar Triggering Device. It’s the only way to be sure.
Short of a core explosion, that is. That’s really the only way to be sure.
Unless Steinhardt and Turok’s ekpyrotic hypothesis is an accurate description of the universe.
Oops ; link for ekpyrotic universe.
Braaaaaaaaaaanes….
b&
Thanks to the comments, I see what could be “something” due to its symmetrical nature, but I would have noticed it otherwise.
This is a test of pareidolia and there ain’t no moth.
(My first thought was that the tree trunk was a distraction and that the moth was in the vegetation, but it’s too blurry there to see anything.)
Well, the pareidolia is certainly strong in this one. Maybe a bit heavy on the Easter Island stuff, but still good. The only thing catching my eye moth-wise is just barely off dead center, down & left. The bark sections just don’t seem to blend normally there.
I’m not sure about this one.
But I take darrelle’s triangle of bumps: the moth is on the right vertex slightly below center, head down to the right askew, crammed into the split.
The different color texture is there (as it is for vierotchka’s patch, but less moth-esque IMO). But it aligns with a crack so it isn’t a 100 % ID at this resolution (and I have the same problem with vierotchka’s patch, only more so).
And now I know why birds peck at anything slightly food-looking.
To be fair, the birds don’t have to deal with JPEG artifacts.
I am leaning a bit toward Darrelle’s spot too. Both the left & right halves of the blemish look moth-like, both of the potential moths are rotated 90 degrees. Stuck on a ferry for hour and a half, so having way too much time to think about this.
What about the light-colored bit to our upper-left of vierotchka’s knob, ~1/3 along that ascending line of darrelle’s triangle?… tho could be a spider-egg cache?
Did anyone specify that the moth had to be sitting on this side of the tree? 😉
I think I found it. It’s near the middle of the right side of Darrelle’s triangle. You can see the body of the moth traveling in the 2 o’clock to 8 o’clock direction. The wings look like a smudge…
I think wnwd was referring to the same thing I see…
I see it!! ..it’s right under that left bump.
On Roundish bump, slighty left and above of center. Located on the edge, with head at about 3:30 and bottom edge of wings at about 5:30 on the clock. Dark band across “eyes” straight edges on left, right and bottom.