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i think
all of science boils down to trying to
do things in order to see
and appreciate the world in a new way
most of the time that means doing
experiments gathering data
or testing hypotheses but sometimes
i think the most useful thing i can do
as a scientist is to point the fancy
science cameras at some moths flapping
their wings
in front of a purple backdrop
i mean whose day isn't going to be
better after watching a pink and yellow
rosy maple moth
fly in super slow motion
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this is a polyphemus moth a gigantic
species of silk moth
what you're seeing like all the rest of
the clips in this video was filmed at 6
000
frames per second
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both of its wings have transparent
windows and if you can catch a glimpse
of the top side
you'll see how they're circled in yellow
blue and black to form eye spots
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do
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this is my finger and on it's what's
called a dark marathisa
at rest these moths are unmistakable
their wings appear rolled up and held
down on their sides
while their abdomens are flipped up and
held above their bodies
in flight their abdomens still arch
upwards and their unrolled wings glisten
and shimmer with a metallic-like
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reflection
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here's a virginian tiger moth these
shockingly white moths are distinguished
from closely related species
by the splashes of yellow on their
abdomen which you can see when they
raise their wings in preparation for
flight
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at rest this moth tries its best to look
like bird droppings
its common name is a beautiful wood
nymph
as these take off especially with the
one on the left look for the cloud of
dusty scales that
kicks up off its wings and body
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while some moths might be pink and
yellow others have mohawks and fluffy
leg warmers like this white dotted
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prominent
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and finally another big species with big
eye spots
a blinded sphinx
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for how big of a body this moth has it's
surprisingly agile once it gets into the
air
going from vertically up to head down
and out of the frame in an instant
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thanks for watching if you like this
you'll find more slow-motion insect
videos
on my antlab youtube channel
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