If you came across the Eastern tiger swallowtail caterpillar crawling along the branch of a tree in its forested home in the eastern US, you’d be forgiven for thinking you’d encountered a snake.
This devilish disguise works particularly well with birds, making them think twice before they take a bite of this otherwise defenceless caterpillar.
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These caterpillars don’t just look like snakes by virtue of their long, cylindrical bodies and similarly green/brown colours, they possess other tricks that help turn their disguise from fancy dress to professional-level cosplay. As they mature, they develop false eyespots, resembling the head of a snake.
They’re also able to stick out a forked, smelly organ known as an osmeterium that to any but the most eagle-eyed of birds, looks just like a snake's tongue.
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The cosplaying talents of these caterpillars doesn’t stop there either. In the first stages of their lives, these caterpillars mimic bird droppings. Later, when they’ve transformed into adult butterflies, some dark morph females will mimic the closely related but poisonous pipevine swallowtails to avoid becoming a tasty snack.
