Larva of the impatiens hawkmoth

Among the leaves damp with morning dew and the scent of life on the ground, a caterpillar leisurely strolled along a branch of a nearby plant. It was the larva of the impatiens hawkmoth, or Theretra oldenlandiae in Latin. This caterpillar was one of the largest I've ever encountered. It was about the size of an adult's little finger. While photographing it, I felt a little nervous because of its size. I was afraid it would jump. But luckily, it was very calm, just strolling along as if nothing was happening.

The caterpillar's color combination was beautiful. Its base color was jet black, adorned with dense white dots. The presence of yellow and orange circles on the edges made the caterpillar's body stand out even more. If you look closely, the dots closely resemble eyes located along its body, especially the two yellow ones at the front. They truly resemble eyes. The presence of black dots in the center of the yellow circles further confirmed the possibility that they were eyes. It is a fake eye to deceive predators that are targeting it.