Bird-winged butterflies (Ornithoptera) live in the rainforests of the Malay Archipelago, far away from us, and as the name suggests, they can even grow as big as a small bird.
Illustration by Ornithoptera paradisea; Credit: wiki commons
The larvae of the bird-winged butterfly have many fleshy spines, look slightly like sea cucumbers, and have a reddish-brown or black-brown body color. When stimulated by the outside world, they can protrude Y-shaped stinky glandular horns from the back of their heads and release a strange odor that displeases predators (a skill common to many butterfly larvae).
Larvae of the green bird-winged butterfly Ornithoptera priamus; Credit: BOB's Butterflies
Butterfly larvae in the family Papilionidae tend to be oligotrophied (feeding exclusively on a certain class of plants), as are the larvae of the bird-winged butterfly, which is not eaten by non-Aristolochiaceae plants. Aristolochiae contain toxic substances such as aristolochic acid, but the larvae can safely absorb it and store it in their bodies until they pupate into butterflies to discourage predators from thinking about themselves.
A certain aristolochiaceae, the flower shape of the aristolochiaceae is mostly more bizarre; image source: wiki commons
The larvae of the papilio polytes, eat only plants of the family Rubiaceae, such as citrus leaves; Image: wiki commons
After the butterfly, the bird-winged butterfly is one of the most gorgeous butterflies, and it is also the largest butterfly, and there is no one. Bird-winged butterflies are very typical sexual dimorphisms (very obvious differences in morphology between the sexes) butterflies, male butterflies are brightly colored, green, orange, yellow, blue and other colors; although the female butterflies are mostly inconspicuous dark brown, and the size is larger than the male butterfly of the same species - the largest butterfly found in the world is the Alexander bird-winged butterfly (Ornithoptera alexandrae) living in eastern New Guinea, the male butterfly's wingspan is nearly 20cm, while the female butterfly can exceed 25cm. Even nearly 30cm, it can really be bigger than the face; the second largest butterfly in the world is the Ornithoptera goliath, which also belongs to the bird-winged butterfly, goliath is the name of a giant in the Bible, and it is very apt to describe the Goliath bird-winged butterfly (I have seen its specimen with my own eyes, the female butterfly is larger than the palm of my hand, and the male butterfly is a little smaller but still very large).
Alexander bird-winged butterfly specimen, male and female; Image source: wiki commons
Goliath bird-winged butterfly specimen, male and female; Image source: wiki commons
Due to habitat destruction and over-capture, the bird-winged butterfly faces the dilemma of survival, so all the bird-winged butterfly is listed as a protected species of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES, because the treaty is signed in Washington, D.C., so it is also known as the Washington Convention), which means that it is illegal to capture or sell wild birds-winged butterfly without permission, and if you do, it is possible to experience cell life. However, such a large and beautiful butterfly still attracts many people, so in the place of origin, many bird-winged butterflies are born and raised in the local butterfly farm (and then become specimens), which are individuals obtained by artificial breeding, and are not subject to CITES trade control (regular butterfly farms should also obtain relevant breeding qualifications and provide proof of the source of butterflies when trading). Butterfly farms bring local economic benefits, and while protecting wild individuals, they also allow large and beautiful bird-winged butterflies to go out and let people around the world appreciate their style (although this does not make sense for birds-winged butterflies themselves).
A pair of Ornithoptera euphorions mating in an artificial environment; Image source: wiki commons
Ornithoptera victorea male butterfly specimen, I think the most beautiful bird-winged butterfly; Image source: wiki commons
(Note: The cover image shows the green bird-winged butterfly, and the background plant for the red flower is a kind of passionflower (Passiflora) native to the Americas, which naturally does not meet.) ）