Just as when we humans reach for objects, the hummingbird hawk moth uses its visual sense to place its long proboscis precisely on a flower to search for nectar, according to biologists.

The hummingbird hawk-moth is partial to flowers with tube-shaped petals and uses its long, curled proboscis — an elongated sucking mouthpart — to extract nectar from the flower's center.

“That such a moth exists in Madagascar may be safely predicted,” Wallace later added. A Madagascar star orchid with its extremely long nectar tube. New York Botanical Garden They were righ ...

Part hummingbird, part moth and part...hawk? Behold the hummingbird hawk-moth, one of the more bizarre-looking flying ...

This method was first used by Charles Darwin, who correctly predicted the existence of a hawk moth with a long proboscis in Madagascar upon observing an orchid with unusually long nectar spurs.

Another telltale sign: six legs, as opposed to two. And instead of a needle-shaped beak, a hummingbird moth boasts a long proboscis through which to slurp that sweet, sweet nectar. These ...

David Lees, curator of moths at the Natural History Museum in London and co-author of the 2021 study, told Live Science in an email. "Its 28.5-cm-long [11.2 inches] proboscis turned out to be the ...

On this fall-like afternoon, it was a special treat to enjoy an intimate visit with this striking moth as he uncurled his long proboscis to suck in nectar from the thistle blossoms. I have lots of ...

The white-lined sphinx moth is common in the Houston area. It’s recognizable by a big round body, whirring wings spanning up to 3 inches and a long proboscis, or tubular mouthpart, resembling a ...

Butterflies and moths evolved a proboscis like the one pictured here long before humans invented drinking straws. However, both serve the same purpose: getting that last drop of sweet liquid from the ...