Stats

Lifespan: 3-4 months
Size: Huge
Diet: Herbivore
Activity: Diurnal
Social: Solitary
Biome: Tropical rainforest
Range: Papua New Guinea
Movement: Flight
Breeding: Egg-laying
Defense: Toxins
Status: Endangered

About

The world's largest butterfly, with females reaching wingspans up to 28 cm — larger than many birds. Critically endangered and found only in a small patch of lowland rainforest in Papua New Guinea's Oro Province.

Life cycle

1.
egg
A tiny ribbed egg laid on the underside of a host-plant leaf, hatching within days.
2.
caterpillar
A voracious caterpillar feeds and molts through several instars, growing rapidly.
3.
chrysalis
A chrysalis hangs sealed and still while the body remodels into a winged adult.
4.
butterfly
A winged adult with full scales and coloration, ready to fly and mate.

Learn more

Taxonomy

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Papilionidae
Genus: Ornithoptera
Species: Ornithoptera alexandrae