They Grow Old so Fast - _TNY_3033
This battered beauty is a male Atlas moth (Attacus atlas).
Judging by the broken wings and generally disheveld appearance, he has lived a hard life and reached a noteworthy age.
The thing is though, that atlas moth don't live as adults very long - my guess is that this one is less than two weeks old.
One rather dramatic adaptation to such a short adult life is that these lack mouth parts. They literally run on one tank of gas and that's it.
Also apparent in this photo is the large antennae. These are great when you're active during the night and really need to locate a female in the dark.
Compare the look and colour of this one to a "new" female here: www.flickr.com/photos/tinyturtle/52362126646/
They Grow Old so Fast - _TNY_3033
This battered beauty is a male Atlas moth (Attacus atlas).
Judging by the broken wings and generally disheveld appearance, he has lived a hard life and reached a noteworthy age.
The thing is though, that atlas moth don't live as adults very long - my guess is that this one is less than two weeks old.
One rather dramatic adaptation to such a short adult life is that these lack mouth parts. They literally run on one tank of gas and that's it.
Also apparent in this photo is the large antennae. These are great when you're active during the night and really need to locate a female in the dark.
Compare the look and colour of this one to a "new" female here: www.flickr.com/photos/tinyturtle/52362126646/