Ever since I was a little kid, I have been intrigued by the life cycle of butterflies. After all, it’s nothing short of magical to see a tiny egg turn into a vibrant creature. For the uninitiated, butterflies undergo a complete transformation after the female insect lays its eggs.
Speaking of which, an Indian Forest Service officer recently explained the life cycle of butterflies while sharing a video of a butterfly pupa that looks like gold at first sight. Have a look at IFS Parveen Kaswan’s tweet:
No, they are not #gold. They are pupa of Tithorea Tarricina #butterflies. The adaptation is to make them survive in #wild. Amazing #nature. VC Tim. pic.twitter.com/EwTNBCmo0Y
— Parveen Kaswan, IFS (@ParveenKaswan) May 17, 2020
According to India Today, the pupa was described as the “pupa of Tithorea tarricina” and it resembled pieces of gold. Tithorea tarricina is a species of butterfly found in Mexico and Central and South America. It is also known as cream-spotted tigerwing.
The officer even explained the life cycle of a butterfly. A caterpillar grows inside the eggs given by the female insects. Eventually, the caterpillar eats its way out of the eggs and starts feeding on leaves. Then, after shedding its skin a few times, they form into a pupa. The journey from a pupa to a butterfly may take weeks or several months, depending on the species of the insect.
Just to understand what Pupa is. Its a part of life cycle of a butterfly. pic.twitter.com/XPkAEeLE1b
— Parveen Kaswan, IFS (@ParveenKaswan) May 17, 2020
Several people were fascinated by the intriguing video:Â Â
never seen such in entire life, so beautifull
— Hai Touba 🙃 (@sittybitty) May 18, 2020
Nature keeps surprising us.
— Abhishek Srivastava (@abhi_life25) May 17, 2020
Amazing And Precioushttps://t.co/SHn0zhmwXL
— Pankaj Thapliyal (@PankajT04765688) May 17, 2020
No less than gold indeed.
— Ashfaque Ismail (@ashfaqueismail) May 17, 2020
Never seen such lustrous shiny pupa ever, until now.
— Mrinal 🇮🇳 (@findmrinals) May 17, 2020
Honestly, I never knew about the golden pupa. Did you? Tell us.
Cover Image Source – RightÂ