Atlas Moth

I was at the butterfly house this morning just as they opened, with my season pass in hand. I went early because I know that Friday is school field trip day and the place quickly fills with children.  One of the volunteers came over to me to tell me about this moth, an Atlas Moth, which had just emerged from its pupa.  She said that it only looks this amazing on the first day and then quickly starts to lose its brilliance. It is very large and this one had a wingspan of about 6-7 inches.  It’s not the best shot but I only had my macro lens with me and the moth was positioned where there wasn’t much leeway for me to reposition myself and get a shot.   Between this shot (have a look in LARGE)  and the extras, however, you should get the idea. 

Upon further research when I got home, I found that: 
1.  It is one of the largest moths in the world.  Can be as large as a wingspan of 12 inches. 
2.  It is native to Southeast Asia
3.  It has no mouth, so lives off fat stores acquired during its immature stages and consequently, it only lives about 2 weeks or less. 

I have loaded a few other closeup shots into the extras so you can see some of its interesting features.  Don’t forget to have a look at the ends of the wings which look like snakes.  Surely they are that way to scare off predators.