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rare
Goliath Birdwing
Ornithoptera goliath
- Habitat
- Rainforests of New Guinea and surrounding Indonesian islands
- Wingspan
- 220 mm
- Order
- Lepidoptera · Papilionidae
Weird but real
Second-largest butterfly on Earth. Males flash neon-green wing patches against velvet-black bodies; females are larger but soberly patterned in browns and creams. They drink from canopy flowers most humans never see.
Why it's cool
Looks like a stained-glass window came to life and decided to fly. Sexual dimorphism so extreme that males and females were originally described as separate species.
