3-D Scans Reveal Caterpillars Turning Into Butterflies

Left: Chrysalis of a painted lady butterfly, showing breathing tubes (blue) and guts (red), at day 1 (left), day 13 (centre) and day 16 (right). Credit: Lowe et al. 2013. Interface.

The transformation from caterpillar to butterfly is one of the most exquisite in the natural world. Within the chrysalis, an inching, cylindrical eating machine remakes itself into a beautiful flying creature that drinks through a straw.

Monarch Butterfly

Massive migrations of monarch butterflies along the California-Mexico coast can take these airborne insects over 3,000 miles (4,828 kilometers).