Unicorn prominent
Coelodasys unicornis
The unicorn prominent is a moth whose caterpillar is famous: it is called the unicorn caterpillar. The moth lives almost all over North America, south of the Arctic. Its caterpillars munch the leaves of many kinds of trees.
Lives in
North America south of the Arctic, in woods
Wingspan
2.4 to 3.5 cm (0.94 to 1.4 in)
Can it hurt you?
Harmless
Harmless. It cannot bite or sting.
What does it eat?
Its caterpillars eat leaves of alder, apple, aspen, birch, elm, hawthorn, hickory and willow.
How big is it?
How wide are its wings?
🍚wings as wide as 6 grains of rice in a row⚽could fly across a whole football pitch in 29 seconds
How big is Unicorn prominent compared to YOU?
Just maths in your browser. Nothing is saved or sent anywhere.
How fast is it?
A person walking about 5 km/h (3.1 mph)
A kid running fast about 13 km/h (8.1 mph)
Unicorn prominent about 13 km/h (8.1 mph)
A grown-up on a bike about 25 km/h (16 mph)
cool stuff
Fun facts
1
There is just one family of these moths each year.
2
Its caterpillars are not picky and eat leaves from many different trees.
3
In 2021 scientists moved it into a new group of moths after studying it closely.
you asked
Most asked questions about Unicorn prominent
?What does the unicorn caterpillar eat?
Leaves of trees like alder, apple, birch, elm and willow.
?How big is the unicorn prominent moth?
Its wings measure about 2.5 to 3.5 centimetres from tip to tip.
For bug experts
- Scientific name
- Coelodasys unicornis
- Named by
- Smith, 1797
- Group
- Moths
- Family
- Notodontidae
- Classification
- Insecta > Lepidoptera > Notodontidae
- Lives on
- North America
- Also known as
- Unicorn caterpillar moth, Variegated prominent
Where the facts come from
- Coelodasys unicornis (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0): what it looks like, where it lives, what it eats, sizes and fun facts, retold in simple words.
- Picture by USGS Native Bee Inventory and Monitoring Laboratory. Public domain, Wikimedia Commons. The sticker of this bug is drawn from this picture.
If we got something wrong, sorry, we are bug fans, not a science journal. Tell us at [email protected] and we will fix it.
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