Amazing Photos Of Butterfly And Moth Transformations
The animal kingdom is full of beautiful and mysterious processes, but there are few that are more captivating and wonderful than the metamorphoses that caterpillars undergo to become moths or butterflies.
SEE ALSO: Butterfly in epic slow motion
Perhaps even more amazing than the drastic transformation is how it happens. Inside their cocoons, the caterpillars are completely liquified, retaining only rudimentary “plates” that are the starting points for important features like the wings and eyes. Despite the fact that they are reduced to a protein soup, studies have indicated that some butterflies can retain behaviors that they were taught as caterpillars. Far out!
The cool thing is that many of these caterpillars are almost as impressive, if not more so, than their moth or butterfly counterparts. Their bright markings and structures often serve as protection, advertising their poisonous nature or giving predators false targets to attack.
