What does the butterfly look like, into which the largest caterpillar in the world is turning

Butterflies, beetles, bees, and many others belong to species with a complete transformation cycle, when insects undergo a series of metamorphoses throughout life. Moreover, in insects at the stage of larvae, it is completely impossible to recognize the future adult, as they are not similar in appearance and lead a completely different way of life. But perhaps the most interesting thing is to observe the butterflies - representatives of the order Lepidoptera. After all, they are distinguished by an incredible variety of shapes and colors, and the appearance of a butterfly in the world is one of the most magical spectacles in the world of wildlife.

If most people are asked who they think is prettier, butterflies or their caterpillars, the answer in most cases will not be in favor of the latter. Meanwhile, among the larvae of butterflies, quite nice specimens are found, as, for example, in a butterfly called royal cyteronia.

These butterflies live in Canada and the United States. The caterpillar of this butterfly is the largest of all on our planet - its length at the last stage of development is 15.5 centimeters. Admires her colorful outfit. A green body in the head area is decorated with several pairs of horns, which are designed to confuse the enemy and protect the caterpillar in case of danger. The caterpillar feeds on walnut trees and representatives of the genus Hazel from the same family of walnuts. For this reason, at home, this butterfly is also called royal nut moth.

An adult is no less interesting and also has a rather large size, although it is not a champion. But with her nutrition, not everything is so simple. The fact is that adult butterflies are completely deprived of the opportunity to eat anything due to the structural features of the oral apparatus. For this reason, they live only a few days. Such a fleeting life is spent on finding a partner and laying eggs, from which the largest caterpillars on the planet will appear with bizarre horns on their heads.