The animal kingdom is full of beautiful and mysterious processes, but few are more captivating and beautiful than the butterfly metamorphosis. A caterpillar turning into a butterfly is indeed a mesmerizing conversion.
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 essential features like the wings and eyes. Even though 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. The regular green caterpillar looks plain, compared to these beauties. Their bright markings and structures often serve as protection, advertising their poisonous nature or giving predators false targets to attack. The hairy caterpillars can sometimes cause an allergic reaction, and that is also one of their survival techniques.
Scroll down to get your dose of majestic moth caterpillars below!
Brahmin Moth
Image credits: Igor Siwanowicz
Image credits: Igor Siwanowicz
Cecropia
Image credits: Lida
Image credits: Chip Miller
Spicebush Swallowtail
Image credits: luckybon
Image credits: shill718
Black Swallowtail
Image credits: Jim Gilbert
Image credits: Tetsuya Shimizu
Polyura Sempronius
Image credits: teejaybee
Image credits: David Cook
Acraga Coa
Image credits: Our Breathing Planet
Image credits: greenmama.ru
Acharia Stimulea
Image credits: butterfly blue
Image credits: butterfliesandmoths.org
Phobetron Pithecium
Image credits: Airton Morassi
Image credits: Lou Prosperi 3rd
Glass Winged Butterfly
Image credits: Wendy
Image credits: Alexander Adema
Cerura Vinula
Image credits: Lukas Jonaitis
Image credits: Valerio Formichella
Flannel Moth
Image credits: Andreas Kay
Image credits: Patrick Coin
Blue Morpho
Image credits: gerckens.photo
Image credits: Ricardo Jimenes
Isochaetes Beutenmuelleri
Image credits: Igor Siwanowicz
Image credits: Roy Morris
Hubbard’s Small Silkmoth
Image credits: Charles & Clint
Image credits: Margarethe Brummermann
Isa Textula
Image credits: Matthew Myers
Image credits: Ray Morris
Pipevine Swallowtail
Image credits: cotinis
Image credits: John Flannery
Spotted Apatelodes
Image credits: Bill Tanneberger
Image credits: kestrel360
Io Moth
Image credits: Jason Penney
Image credits: Roger Wasley
Attacus Atlas
Image credits: John Horstman
Image credits: Andrew Cooper
I do like butterflies in general, really interesting colourful creatures, but honestly, moth species I find sometimes terrifying.
I think they're all creepy as hell. If it flies and can land on my person, I don't like it.
Load More Replies...I love the blue morpho, as a butterfly enthusiast, these are fantastic
Incredible beauty, thank you the photographers for their dedication to capture this incredible life change for all of us.
Praise natural selection and sexual selection to make those creatures...
As a lepidopterist, I can tell you that you have the wrong butterfly picture posted for the Black Swallowtail.
As a human being, I can tell you that your attempt to add legitimacy to your claim by stating you are a lepidopterist is silly/unnecessary.
Load More Replies...Do moths (cut worm moths) chrysalises look dried up and shaggy before the moth emerges - or has the caterpillar died?
Thankyou all contributors. What a delicious sensory experience. :-)
You have accidentally switched the images for the Spicebush Swallowtail butterfly and Black Swallowtail butterfly.
Really great photos and only the spicebush and black swallowtails were transposed!
Some of these are hardly recognisable as caterpillars... if I came across some of these I think I'd wonder what it was!
WOW these do look like space creatures....amazingly beautiful. God must of had fun designing these guys!
The atlas caterpillar has great protection against parasitic wasps. Those protrusions make it look like the caterpillar is already parasited
I love the pic of the last moth, totally unexpected and so beautiful. My brother however, who is terrified of moths, would freak out!
We're still in " The Middle Âge" of knowledge of The miracle of Life but work hard and discover Allready so much
This ranking is really beautiful, thank you! I have never seen such beautiful tracks!
Totally awesome! Amazing how different they look as moth/butterflies than when they are caterpillars.
Attacus Atlas transformation its called in Philippines ( MARIPOSA ) sometimes can grow up to 12 inches diameter or bigger of wings :)
This gives a whole new meaning to before and after photos for me... Pretty cool
This gives a whole new meaning to the before and after photos for me... Pretty cool
O Reino dos insetos uma maravilha incontável no fascínio da desafiadora e venenosa beleza, Parabéns pelo capricho da postagem.Nota 10.!.
Nature is amazing. I think they are all beautiful but the caterpillars are the prettiest. I love some of those real furry moths..
I actually found the hairy ones very frightening and I don't usually mind moths or butterflies.
Stunning! I would have liked knowing what part of our world these are found in.
It's amazing the changes in color they go through from caterpillar to butterfly!
Nope it is a black swallowtail but the associated butterfly is wrong.
Load More Replies...Unbelievably breathtaking and a testament to the wonders of nature
The Spicebush Swallowtail caterpillar actually has two eyes and a mouth. Cute!
j'adore les papillons ,ils sont tres beaux, sauf certaines chenilles
Your pic of the blue swallowtail caterpillar looks more like a monarch caterpillar. Are you sure that's the right image?
That's actually the Black Swallowtail caterpillar (the butterfly is under "Spicebush Swallowtail"). It is similarly striped.
Load More Replies...Les plus brlles chenilles font les papillons les plus moches :-(
I love butterflies, I even have framed ones, I have a butterfly guide but havn't found a book that has both catapillars & butterflies, so th
When I was a kid my brother told me that the 'dust' moths are covered in was the dessicated remains of corpses. Phobia still with me. Ew!!
Amazing reflection of GOD'S LOVE ❤ THIS IS THE SYMBOL OF GLORY OF GOD'S BEAUTY IN CHANGING HEARTS
I do like butterflies in general, really interesting colourful creatures, but honestly, moth species I find sometimes terrifying.
I think they're all creepy as hell. If it flies and can land on my person, I don't like it.
Load More Replies...I love the blue morpho, as a butterfly enthusiast, these are fantastic
Incredible beauty, thank you the photographers for their dedication to capture this incredible life change for all of us.
Praise natural selection and sexual selection to make those creatures...
As a lepidopterist, I can tell you that you have the wrong butterfly picture posted for the Black Swallowtail.
As a human being, I can tell you that your attempt to add legitimacy to your claim by stating you are a lepidopterist is silly/unnecessary.
Load More Replies...Do moths (cut worm moths) chrysalises look dried up and shaggy before the moth emerges - or has the caterpillar died?
Thankyou all contributors. What a delicious sensory experience. :-)
You have accidentally switched the images for the Spicebush Swallowtail butterfly and Black Swallowtail butterfly.
Really great photos and only the spicebush and black swallowtails were transposed!
Some of these are hardly recognisable as caterpillars... if I came across some of these I think I'd wonder what it was!
WOW these do look like space creatures....amazingly beautiful. God must of had fun designing these guys!
The atlas caterpillar has great protection against parasitic wasps. Those protrusions make it look like the caterpillar is already parasited
I love the pic of the last moth, totally unexpected and so beautiful. My brother however, who is terrified of moths, would freak out!
We're still in " The Middle Âge" of knowledge of The miracle of Life but work hard and discover Allready so much
This ranking is really beautiful, thank you! I have never seen such beautiful tracks!
Totally awesome! Amazing how different they look as moth/butterflies than when they are caterpillars.
Attacus Atlas transformation its called in Philippines ( MARIPOSA ) sometimes can grow up to 12 inches diameter or bigger of wings :)
This gives a whole new meaning to before and after photos for me... Pretty cool
This gives a whole new meaning to the before and after photos for me... Pretty cool
O Reino dos insetos uma maravilha incontável no fascínio da desafiadora e venenosa beleza, Parabéns pelo capricho da postagem.Nota 10.!.
Nature is amazing. I think they are all beautiful but the caterpillars are the prettiest. I love some of those real furry moths..
I actually found the hairy ones very frightening and I don't usually mind moths or butterflies.
Stunning! I would have liked knowing what part of our world these are found in.
It's amazing the changes in color they go through from caterpillar to butterfly!
Nope it is a black swallowtail but the associated butterfly is wrong.
Load More Replies...Unbelievably breathtaking and a testament to the wonders of nature
The Spicebush Swallowtail caterpillar actually has two eyes and a mouth. Cute!
j'adore les papillons ,ils sont tres beaux, sauf certaines chenilles
Your pic of the blue swallowtail caterpillar looks more like a monarch caterpillar. Are you sure that's the right image?
That's actually the Black Swallowtail caterpillar (the butterfly is under "Spicebush Swallowtail"). It is similarly striped.
Load More Replies...Les plus brlles chenilles font les papillons les plus moches :-(
I love butterflies, I even have framed ones, I have a butterfly guide but havn't found a book that has both catapillars & butterflies, so th
When I was a kid my brother told me that the 'dust' moths are covered in was the dessicated remains of corpses. Phobia still with me. Ew!!
Amazing reflection of GOD'S LOVE ❤ THIS IS THE SYMBOL OF GLORY OF GOD'S BEAUTY IN CHANGING HEARTS
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