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Not only are butterflies some of the most beautiful creatures on Earth, they also play an incredibly important ecological role as pollinators and have played an important role in human culture for millennia. Butterfly paintings in Egypt date back to 3,500 years, and butterflies are described in songs and poems around the world. Butterflies are less efficient pollinators than bumblebees because they do not have specialized structures for collecting pollen. For example, bees have corbiculas, also known as pollen baskets, on their hind legs to collect pollen efficiently. However, butterflies inadvertently pollinate flowers when they drink nectar.
There are over 24,000 species of butterflies, which are extremely varied in size, color and shape. Interestingly, the butterfly’s wings are covered in small scales ranging in size from 30-80 micrometers by 30-500 micrometers in an area that refracts light to produce the vibrant colors we see. The bright patterns on the wings of butterflies are believed to serve many purposes, including attracting mates and deceiving predators.
In this article, we will look at some of the largest species of these beautiful creatures. These are the 12 largest butterflies in terms of maximum wingspan.
# 12: Jamaican Giant Sailboat – 6 ” wingspan
The female Jamaican giant dovetail, also known as Homer’s dovetail, can have a maximum wingspan of about 6 inches. This butterfly is endemic to Jamaica and is classified as endangered. There are only two isolated populations in Jamaica today. In the caterpillar stage, the Jamaican giant dovetail has a unique organ behind its head called osmeteria, which emits a foul odor when the caterpillar senses a threat from predators.
# 11: Small Batwing – 6.4 inches wingspan.
The smaller bat-winged butterfly is an Asian butterfly with a wingspan of up to 6.4 inches. This butterfly is mainly found in northern India, Myanmar, Bhutan, northern Vietnam, northern Laos, and southern China. Although small bat wings are not very common, they are not considered endangered. In nature, this butterfly is admired both for its bright color and its slow, graceful flight.
# 10: Miranda Birdwing – Wingspan 6.5 inches
The Miranda butterfly can have a wingspan of up to 6 ½ inches and is found in Borneo and Sumatra. This butterfly is not endangered and is classified as Least Concern. Miranda’s bird wing is named after Miranda Butler, who first described the species in 1869.
# 9 Largest Butterfly: Magellan Birdwing – 7.1 inches wingspan.
The Magellanic butterfly has a bird wing span of up to 7.1 inches across. This butterfly can be found in the Philippines and Taiwan on Orchid Island, and its conservation status is of least concern. Magellan Birdwing has rainbow wings, so blue and green light is refracted at an oblique angle. This butterfly is named after explorer Ferdinand Magellan, who died in the Philippines in 1521.
# 8: Chimaera Birdwing – 7.1 inches wingspan
The bird-winged chimera butterfly has a huge wingspan of 7.1 inches across, linking it to the Magellanic wing. This butterfly is found in the mountainous regions of Papua New Guinea and is endangered. The bird’s wing of the chimera, like many butterflies, is a semi-dimorphic species, males have bright green wings, and females have larger, dark brown and white wings. The name “chimera” comes from a Greek mythological creature that is a hybrid of several animals.
# 7: Wallace’s Golden Wing – 7.5 inches wingspan
Wallace’s golden bird wing has an impressive wingspan of up to 7.5 inches. This butterfly was a vulnerable species but was reclassified as critically endangered in 2018 due to successful conservation efforts restricting international trade. Wallace’s golden wing lives in Indonesia and lives mainly in lowland swamps. This butterfly is named after Alfred Russell Wallace, who first described the species in 1859. In his book Malay archipelagoWallace describes his reaction when he first saw the beautiful butterfly, and says: “When I pulled it out of the net and opened its magnificent wings, my heart started beating wildly, the blood rushed to my head, and I felt much more like a faint than a faint. … I did it for fear of immediate death. “
# 6: Palawan Bird Wing – 7.5 inches wingspan.
Palawan bird wing and Wallace golden wing with an impressive 7.5-inch wingspan. The Palawan Birdwing, also known as the Triangular Birdwing, is found only in Palawan in the Philippines. These butterflies are most prolific around Cleopatra’s Needle, a mountain in Palawan, but can be seen year round in other mountain ranges.
# 5: Rippon’s Bird Wing – 7.9 ” Wingspan
The Rippon bird-eating butterfly has a huge wingspan of 7.9 inches. This butterfly is endemic to the Maluku Islands and Sulawesi in Indonesia and is a protected species but not considered endangered. The bright yellow coloration of Rippon’s bird wing is thought to deceive predators and mimic the wasp as a defense mechanism.
# 4: Buru Opalescent Birdwing – 7.9 inches wingspan
The 7.9-inch opalescent Buru butterfly has an incredible wingspan similar to the size of a Rippon bird. This butterfly only exists in Buru in the Maluku Islands in Indonesia and lives at high altitudes ranging from 1,300 to 1,600 meters. The Buru Opalescent Wing is classified as a vulnerable species that is endangered in the wild. These butterflies are primarily threatened by sampling and habitat destruction due to deforestation.
# 3: African Giant Sailboat – 9.1 ” Wingspan
The African Giant Dovetail is a giant butterfly 9.1 inches wide. This butterfly is the largest butterfly in Africa and has an extensive range in 12 African countries. The African Giant Swallowtail has no natural predators because it is extremely toxic and can cause illness and possibly death if swallowed. The conservation status of this butterfly is “insufficient data”, which means that there is insufficient information to classify it correctly.
# 2: Goliath Bird Wing – 10-11 inches wingspan.
The second largest butterfly in the world has huge wings up to 11 inches wide. The Goliath bird-eating butterfly is native to the rainforests of Papua New Guinea and neighboring islands and has a conservation status of Least Concern. This butterfly was named after the biblical giant Goliath due to its sheer size, and its subspecies are also named after mythological giants including Titan, Atlas, and Samson.
# 1: Queen Alexandra’s Birdwing – 11 ” Wingspan
The largest butterfly in the world with a whopping 11-inch wingspan is Queen Alexandra’s bird wing. This butterfly is named after Alexandra of Denmark, Queen of the United Kingdom and Empress of India from 1901 to 1910. Queen Alexandra’s bird wing is classified as critically endangered and only exists in an area of 40 square miles of coastal rainforest in Papua New Guinea. As a result, this butterfly is one of three insects listed in Appendix I of CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species) that prohibit any international trade in this species. A volcanic eruption on Mount Lamington in 1951 caused habitat destruction, contributing to the demise of Queen Alexandra’s bird wing.
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