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jerryscience The moth's Cantonese name translates to “snake’s head moth,” not only because the tips of its wings look similar to a snake’s head, but also because of its survival technique when threatened: it drops to the ground and manipulates it wings, imitating snake head and neck movements to scare away predators. Its wing tips look so much like snake heads that images of the atlas moth have gone viral, with rumors abounding that it might be deadly. Worry not, this majestic creatures is harmless. In fact, it is a purveyor of beauty and function: atlas moth caterpillars produce silk similar to that created by domesticated silkworms, but courser, and brown, and more durable. The strong strands are what they use to build their cocoons, which are themselves durable enough that in some Asian countries abandoned cocoons are used as change purses.