Ask A Scientist© Zoology Archive

name         Dylan L.
status       student
age          7

Question -   Why does the eyed click beetle have the two eyes on its back?
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I do not know for sure, but often when an insect has large spots that look
like eyes they make it look larger to predators - a bird might see the large
"eyes" and think the whole animal is much larger than it really is. Some
moths and butterflys have large spots on their wings, and they may lead a
predator to strike at the eye spots, because they look like they should be
on the head, instead of at the main body, but that would not explain the
spots on the beetle since they are right where a predator would want to
strike.
J. Elliott
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