Cantor's Hawk Moth vs Giant Northern Termite

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Cantor's Hawk Moth Giant Northern Termite
Scientific Name Ambulyx cantorii Mastotermes darwiniensis
Order Lepidoptera Blattodea
Family Sphingidae Mastotermitidae
Size 85-115 mm 10-15mm
Habitat Forests Forests
Diet Fruit Feeders Wood Feeders
Regions India, Myanmar, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia Oceania
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Cantor's Hawk Moth

A large leaf-mimicking hawk moth with intricately patterned brown and cream forewings. Named after the zoologist Theodore Edward Cantor, it inhabits forests of South and Southeast Asia.

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Did You Know?

When resting among leaf litter, Ambulyx cantorii is virtually invisible, its wing patterns perfectly mimicking a dried curled leaf.

Giant Northern Termite

The most primitive living termite and the only surviving member of its family. It retains many cockroach-like features including laying eggs in cockroach-like oothecae. It is extremely destructive to timber.

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Did You Know?

It is a living fossil, the most primitive termite alive, retaining cockroach-like features that link termites to their ancestors.