A PAIR OF COMET MOTHS
1697 VIEWS ON 11/15/2009
THE MALE ON THE LEFT IS SMALLER BUT THE COMET WINGS ARE LONGER
THAN THE FEMALE THAT HAS A LAGER BODY FOR PRODUCING THE EGS
The Comet moth (Argema mittrei), a large silk moth, is found only in the wild in certain parts of Madagascar but is able to be breed in captivity. In Madagascar are a few breeding areas and there are a few zoos that attempt breeding too. Some of them are quite successful.
The Madagascan Moon Moth or Comet Moth is one of the world’s biggest, the male has a wing span of twenty centimeters and a tail span of fifteen centimeters. As a Moth they only live for 4 or 5 days and they are only fertile the first day after getting out of the cocoon. The cocoon has holes in it to keep the future moth from drowning in it’s rainforest climate.
As a caterpillar they feed on eucalyptus leaves (only fresh ones, which makes it harder to breed them in captivity) and grow to a reasonable size before getting in the cocoon. They stay in there for about two to six months depending on the climate.
This particular type of moth only lives in Madagascar of the south coast of Africa. It is an endangered species.
AS IS STRAIGHT FROM THE CAMERA PANASONIC LUMIX FZ 7 IN COMBINE WITH A LUMIX TELE CONVERSION LENS :DMW-LT 55
THIS PHOTO IS MADE IN THE BUTTERFLY VALLEY IN THE NETHERLANDS
A PAIR OF COMET MOTHS belongs to the following groups:
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Simon Whittaker
An even better image Johan, stunning image.
Joseph Rieg
Very, very nice shot….and I really appreciate the information on something I knew nothing about.
Kate Adams
Johan this is great!! been to Madagascar but my eyes weren’t open as much as they are now…fantastic capture!!!!
Pamela B
Beautiful Johan! They’re so fascinating!
John Vandeven
Great shot. Beautiful colours.
RavenSoul
HOW AWESOME! I have never seen those = )
Beve Brown-Clark
WOW….excellent photograph!! Love these guys…you capture them beautifully!!
failingjune
Fantastic image! I love the use of complementary colors :) Were these alive?
josiem
incredible capture!!!
Kuz9
Very cool! :D I like it!
Clive
Two for the price of one….fantastic capture :) :)
Linda Syms
They are so pretty, great capture.
Jokus
Wow Johan, the Comet Moths are wonderful, the color, the patterns on the wings so beautiful!
An amazing shot, very well done Big Brother!!!
Kusje je Zusje ;-)
turtlepath
Stunning moths!!! I’ve seen paintings of them by John Cody. This is a stunning picture.
SandraRos
Johan I love these ! Wonderful photograph why don’t you enter it in the group “endangered species” ? ? ? ?
Lyn Evans
Oh my word….these are gorgeous
Angel Warda
wow…fantastic!!!
sigfusson
Moths & butterflies are just such amazing things. Thanks for the information on this shot – I’ve never seen any of this sort before. cheers, S.
Corina Daniela...
Magnificent work! Excellent! How can I add you to my wishlist?
JOHAN (photowa...
THANKS CORINA BUT I DONT FEEL ME SELF SUCH A GREAT PHOTOGRAPHER IF I SEE THE QUALITY HERE ON RB I AM JUST A NOVICE STILL LEARNING HOW TO MAKE TE PERFECT SHOT JOHAN
angiejones
wow – they are beautiful
SandraRos
Baie baie geluk my vriend ! ! ! This is very deserving
Jokus
Congrats Big Brother with the feature! Superdepuper!!!!!
Happy Dance Kusje je zusje ;-)
Katagram
wonderful capture, congrats
Sensiworld
Beautiful !!
keleka656
What an interesting creature this moth is! Your description is fascinating. Lovely catch of the duo. They are beautiful in color and markings. Well spotted and photographed!!
Gili Orr
Beautiful moths, great capture. Well-done, Johan!!
Yool
Het lijken wel vliegers …..geweldige opname !!!
cara53
These are spectacluar. Never saw these before and it is a pleasure to see and read about it. Thank you!
Pete Costick
Great shot, wonderful creatures and interesting written information
Lisa G. Putman
They are so beautiful!
Michael Matthews
Madagascar has some amazing creatures & this is a fine example. Beautiful colours & patterns & well photographed.
DiEtte Henderson
Stunning!
jesika
Absolutey gorgeous & thanks for a very interesting narrative
j
CarolM
What a wonderful shot. Beautiful!! Appreciate the information about the moth. Very interesting.
Jennifer Prome...
wonderful!!! such a great work you have
AnitaInverarity
Incredible- Never seen this species- thought it was a doctored image- Beautiful xxx
Ann Marie Barnes
AMazing, what beautiful colours and patterns they have…great shot!!
Leena Hedman
Fantastic! They look like candy!
misiabe80
Wow… amazing shot!!
Kasia Kotlarska
Lovely shot.
Mary Campbell
georgous, did you take it in the zoo or in Madagascar?
Megan Dacy
Wow. Insanely gorgeous.
Hena Tayeb
great shot
Denise Martin
Absolutely fantastic shot – what beautiful moths – the colours are spectacular.
terryt
Simply “AWESOME”!
AUDEANYES
oh wow, these pretty things only live 5 days??
van049
Beautiful, stunning images!!!
Rosina Lamberti
Congratulations on being one of the TOP TEN in the Birds & Bugs challenge
cheers
rosina
jesika
Super capture and interesting narrative.
j
solareclips~Ju...
Anne Hale
Oh, wow… incredible. An outstanding photograph and subject.
KatHardin
congratulations on being featured, very nice picture, the moths are really pretty
AnnieSnel
Congratulations on your beautiful feature Johan!!
Robert Armstrong
Fantastic image, excellent colours!
Judy Grant
awesome shot !!!!
Sharon Mau
They are so exotic and very beautiful Johan!
RosaCobos
What an extraordinary couple!
I did not know them…!
So beautiful….and soft of light..but contrasted…. shaped in real strong forms.
Thanks for brining them up to our conscience.
Rosa
Barb Leopold
Beautiful work Johan….. these look like a pair of colourful kites!!
JohnnyDe
Really cool shot, Johan! Nicely done!
kevinmawson
Inccedable capture,great job you did!
km.
Magee
How magnificent Johan!! They look like little ballerinas on tippy toe!!
Such a delightful image, and so beautifully captured! :-))
RhondaR
Great capture, Colours are just beautiful.
sneha
wow!! never seen something like this be4!! its fascinating to find out the variety of nature!
ys-eye
Gorgeous!
sonjas
Stunning image
deborah zaragoza
What a beautiful photograph and loved the fact you gave such wonderful information to go with it !
Marie Sharp
Congratulations on being featured in Alphabet Soup!
Please enter this great capture into the Best of C Challenge!
Marie ~ Host
Fremme
stunning image, wow, great capture, so very well done
EarthGipsy
Simply Stunning!
trisha22
So pretty. I always thought moths were just plain and butterflies had all the colors. I have never seen these. great catch. trisha
Marie Sharp
TOP TEN WINNER ~ BEST OF C CHALLENGE
Sheila Laurens
CONGRATULATIONS on your TOP TEN placement in ALPHABET SOUP
Sheila ~ co- Host
Katagram
Renee Dawson
These moths are absolutely GORGEOUS Johan! Congratulations on your well deserved feature.
Di Edwards
Wow, this is gorgeous! I have never heard of these or seen them. Wonderful looking creatures!
DutchLumix
Magical capture, How Awesome
Friesland Boppe …
Erik
Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Alexandra Muresan
nice!
Karen Tillotson
Fantastic creatures I’ve never seen before. How beautiful…lovely image!
Bezay
Exquisite! You truly captured a natural unprovoked love.
Liane Pinel
Awesome!!!!
Hans Bax 29 days ago
Prachtig shot, Johan! Van harte met je top tien plaats in de The Best You’ve Got Challenge!
Fijne dag en groeten!
relayer51 20 days ago
FANTASTIC, SUPER CAPTURE.
Heather Hartkamp 18 days ago
Jason Connolly 18 days ago
They look like a little pair of fairy ballerinas, beautiful shot..
ChrisCoombes 18 days ago
Very cool. I actually saw one of these in the wild in Madagascar last year. Thanks for putting all of that intersting info with the photo.