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Gary Hebert | all galleries >> Nature and The Outdoors >> Wonders of Nature >> Butterflies & Moths >> Attacus Atlas Moth > Atlas Moth (Male - just emerged)
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15-JUL-2006 © 2006 Gary Hebert

Atlas Moth (Male - just emerged)

Butterfly Gardens, Calgary Zoo

Male Atlas Moth (Attacus atlas) just emerged from the coccoon.
South East Asia

The Atlas Moth has the largest wing surface area of all moths. It is so named because its wing patterns resemble maps. The wing tips are hooked and some say resemble a snake's head complete with eye, to scare off predators.

Female Atlas Moths attract males by secreting a pheromone through a gland at the end of the abdomen. The male has huge long feathery antennae to track down the female by her pheromones. The females are much larger than the males and don't have feathery antennae. Male atlas moths can detect odor-carrying molecules called pheromones released by females at a distance of many kilometers away.

Adult Atlas Moths don't eat at all throughout their adult life which lasts for about two weeks. An adult Atlas Moth doesn't even have a mouth and lives off fat reserves built up when it was a caterpillar. The adults quickly mate, lay eggs, and die shortly thereafter.

Here is a pair mating

Olympus E-500 ,Olympus Zuiko 50-200mm f/2.8-3.5 Digital ED
1/160s f/8.0 at 130.0mm iso100 with FL-36 Flash hide exif
Full EXIF Info
Date/Time15-Jul-2006 08:52:39
MakeOlympus
ModelE-500
Flash UsedYes
Focal Length130 mm
Exposure Time1/160 sec
Aperturef/8
ISO Equivalent100
Exposure Bias-0.70
White Balance
Metering Modecenter weighted (2)
JPEG Quality (6)
Exposure Programaperture priority (3)
Focus Distance

other sizes: small medium large original auto
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MarcViskens21-Nov-2012 21:02
wow this is very nice
great work
marc
Guest 03-Dec-2011 23:16
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Guest 09-Jul-2007 18:47
Very nice shot
Guest 30-May-2007 23:52
Beautiful shot! v.
Rita18-Nov-2006 21:28
wow. i didnt know moths could be so attractive looking
Yi Feng17-Jul-2006 21:44
Great capture, beautiful colors and detail!
Debbie B.17-Jul-2006 19:26
Beautiful moths!!!
Guest 17-Jul-2006 16:08
Beautiful moth. Great capture.
lou_rozensteins17-Jul-2006 08:34
Great story, and what a colourful moth! Both excellent captures. Well done.
Guest 17-Jul-2006 08:09
Thanks for the lesson. Lovely wing patterns.
QUERIDO17-Jul-2006 07:14
nice shot!
Besati17-Jul-2006 05:37
Beautiful creature!! Thanks for the info, Gary. Well done.
Peter Stahl17-Jul-2006 04:00
Great shot and info! Well done Gary!!
Blair Howell17-Jul-2006 01:49
Wonderful!
Guest 17-Jul-2006 00:50
Beautiful image and text Gary, GMV!
Bill Ewart Jr17-Jul-2006 00:22
Fascinating back story, wonderful photos, we get the large green Lunar Moths here!
Hubert Steed17-Jul-2006 00:16
Well done, Gary...
James Lundy17-Jul-2006 00:14
Awesome! Interesting story. Wow to not have a mouth as an adult, that's a bummer!
Guest 17-Jul-2006 00:09
WOW! Beautiful capture. Great job Gary!