The behemoth of all moths

Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP), among the few national parks in the world to be situated within the periphery of a city, boasts of a varied biodiversity. It is the haven for the elusive leopard along with many rare species of flora and fauna. One of these is the life-sized Atlas moth. As one of the largest moths in the world to be seen in Mumbai, it represents SGNP's wide-ranging eco-hub.

Monster moth

The unusually giant-sized Atlas moth has been recently spotted in its early caterpillar stage on the Shilonda trail route in SGNP. These moths, typically spotted during the monsoon, have a wing span of up to 25cm, as opposed to an average moth, which has a wing span of 5-7cm and an approximate surface area of 600sqcm. "It's called an 'Atlas' because its wings appear to have a map-like pattern on them. In some regions of South East Asia, it is also known as the snake-head moth, because of the unusual marks on its tip, which resemble a snake's head," says naturalist Rahulratan Chauhan.

Short life cycle

It takes approximately 15 days for a caterpillar to turn into an adult, an adulthood that lasts only a few days. Within this short span of time, these moths mate and lay eggs for their species to survive. In their caterpillar stage, they feed fiercely on the plants that they live off, as they can't eat as once they turn into adults, owing to their under-developed mouth or proboscis. Apart from SGNP, Atlas moths have been sighted in the Western Ghats, Assam and Tripura.

— Pooja Patel