Goat Moth Larva
Cossus cossus (larva)
This large caterpillar lives hidden inside the trunks and branches of deciduous trees such as willow, poplar, and oak. It feeds by tunnelling through wood, leaving galleries packed with frass and often spending several years as a larva before pupating. When disturbed, it can rear up, bite with its mandibles, and give off a strong goat-like odor that helps deter predators. Its secretive wood-boring life makes it far more often detected by damage to trees than by direct sighting.
- Type
- Burrow
- Conservation status
- NE
Growth chain
- Goat Moth Larva
- ?
- Goat Moth