The Goliath birdwing, also known as Ornithoptera goliath, is a butterfly that lives in New Guinea.
Amazing Facts
- The poison of the butterfly can kill rats, spiders, grasshoppers, and other small animals if they are eaten.
- The butterfly is called after Goliath because of its enormous size. Goliath was a Philistine giant recorded in the Bible who was vanquished by the infant David. The subspecies has also been given names like Atlas, Titan, and Samson in honor of other Biblical giants.
- Males have cryptic underside colour, making it difficult to see them when they are resting with their wings folded. The brownish females, on the other hand, lie down with their wings open.
Appearance
Wingspan of the Ornithoptera goliath is up to 28 centimeters (11 in). It is now the second-largest butterfly on the entire planet. An approximately identical wingspan is reached by the African giant swallowtail.
Male
The forewings of the Goliath birdwing are black. The dorsum but not the black ternum are reached by a huge green triangle that extends beyond the medium black bar along the coastal border. Greenish yellow and greenish make up the underbelly. There is a black border with black veins. There are tiny black dots on the outer cells. A thin green line surrounds the basal edge of the black edge on the hindwings. The cells in the golden region contain a few green flecks. Similar to the upper side, the underside lacks a black border. Green lines the edge. The cells of the golden region have black dots in them. The tergites on the yellow abdomen have black edges. The thorax and head are both black, and there are red hair tufts on the underside of the thorax.
Female
The dominant color of the female is dark brown, and she is larger than the male. There is a postdiscal chain of white dots at the periphery. There is a collection of white specks in the discal cell that occasionally resemble a “E.” The postdiscal band on the hindwings is a broad band of yellow with a chain of dark-brown dots in the cells. Although the colors are more vibrant, the underside is remarkably similar to the top.
Diet
The larvae feed initially on the young leaves and then move on to the older ones as they become older, and finally feast on the stems’ cut bark. The main plant that larvae eat is a pipevine. Adults will consume nectar using their proboscis, which is a long tongue that resembles a straw. Hibiscus blossoms can support Queen Alexandra’s Birdwing since they are so enormous.
Predators
The sole natural enemies of Queen Alexandra’s Birdwing are the orb-weaving spider and a few other kinds of small birds.
Habitat
The Ornithoptera goliath inhabits New Guinea’s jungles and the nearby smaller islands.
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