Owl butterflies

SOOC

Found these in a tropical butterfly house at Skegness Seal Sanctuary.

Description from wikipedia.

Butterflies in the genus Caligo are commonly called Owl butterflies, after their huge eyespots, which resemble owls' eyes. There are about 20 species in the genus, found in the rainforests and secondary forests of Mexico, Central and South America.

The role of eyespots as antipredator mechanisms has been discussed since the 19th Century. Several hypotheses are suggested to explain their occurrence. In some butterflies, particularly Satyrinae (such as the Gatekeeper Butterfly and the Grayling), it has been shown that ocelli serve as a decoy, diverting bird attack away from the vulnerable body, and towards the outer part of the hindwings or the forewing tip.

Research of Stevens et al. (2008), however, suggests that eye-spots are not a form of mimicry and do not deter predators because they look like eyes. Rather the conspicuous contrast in the patterns on the wings deter predators. In this study, however, the influence of surrounding forms, like the head region of a predator, was not tested. Also the question why animals evolved such complex imitations of other species is left.

Owl butterflies are very large, 65-200 mm, and fly only a few metres at a time, so avian predators have little difficulty in following them to their settling place. However, the butterflies preferentially fly in dusk, when few avian predators are around. The Latin name may possibly refer to their active periods. Caligo means darkness.

Some owl butterflies form leks in mating behaviour.