10th May 2016 by What's What Team

Discovery of Morgan’s Sphinx Moth

In 1862, Charles Darwin discovered an orchid from Madagascar with a one-foot-long spur that held the pollen and the nectar at its depths. He predicted that there must be an insect that had a foot long tongue (proboscis) to pollinate the plant. Nobody had seen such a moth and the idea was laughed at. In 1903, the Morgan’s Sphinx Moth was discovered that has a proboscis 12 to 14 inches long to get the nectar from the bottom of the 12-inch deep orchid spur.

#1862#Charles Darwin#Insect#Madagascar#Morgan’s Sphinx Moth#Moth#Nectar#Orchid#Plant#Pollination#Proboscis#Tongue