Atlas Moth

The Atlas Moth has the largest wing area of any insect on Earth. Fully spread, this one measured just over 25cm — roughly the size of a dinner plate.

Here is the part that always gets people: the Atlas Moth has no mouth. As an adult, it cannot eat. It lives for one to two weeks on the fat reserves it built up as a caterpillar, and its only purpose in that time is to find a mate.

The wing tips are shaped and patterned to resemble snake heads — a defence mechanism called mimicry. From a distance, a resting Atlas Moth looks like two cobras. Enough to give most birds pause.

This one landed on the side of a research station in Borneo just after sunset. It stayed the entire night.