Walnut sphinx
The walnut sphinx is a hawk moth from North America. It flies at night, mostly in the first hours after dark. Its caterpillar has a very surprising trick: it can whistle.
How big is it?
How wide are its wings?
How big is Walnut sphinx compared to YOU?
Just maths in your browser. Nothing is saved or sent anywhere.
How fast is it?
Fun facts
When a bird attacks it, the caterpillar blows air out of little holes in its sides and makes a high whistle.
The whistle sounds like the alarm call of some birds, which may scare the attacker away.
It is the only species in its whole genus, Amorpha.
Most asked questions about Walnut sphinx
?Can a caterpillar really whistle?
Yes. The walnut sphinx caterpillar pushes air out through breathing holes in its body to make a high whistle.
?How big is the walnut sphinx?
Its wings are about 4 to 7 centimetres across.
For bug experts
- Scientific name
- Amorpha juglandis
- Named by
- Smith, 1797
- Group
- Moths
- Family
- Sphingidae
- Classification
- Insecta > Lepidoptera > Sphingidae
- Lives on
- North America
Where the facts come from
- Amorpha juglandis (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 Didier Descouens. CC BY-SA 4.0, 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.
Bug Wiki honey jar For grown-ups: Bug Wiki is free, with no ads and no tracking. A small tip helps keep it online.Leave a tip
Atlas moth
Luna moth
Hummingbird hawk-moth
Domestic silk moth
Isabella tiger moth
Polyphemus moth
Common bark spider
Smooth ground beetle
Dark-branded bushbrown
European beak
Golden stag beetle
Boreal burying beetle