Larva of a monotypic moth

Not all beauty manifests in a perfect form take, for instance, the caterpillar I encountered. Many consider it a repulsive and frightening creature. Admittedly, it did look rather menacing at the time. Yet, a few days later, it would transform into something truly amazing, sporting wings that allowed it to flutter and glide through the air. Once it displayed its stunning wing patterns, it would garner admiration from many though few realized, or even remembered, that this celebrated being had once been that fearsome-looking creature.

The caterpillar I found is the larva of a monotypic moth belonging to the Noctuidae family. While I often come across caterpillars like this, spotting one after it has transformed into a moth is incredibly difficult. Such caterpillars are prime targets for small birds; the very one I photographed fell prey to a Greater Coucal. Even though its body was protected by hair-like spines, those defenses evidently didn't deter the bird. Watching it being devoured made me feel sorry for it, yet there was nothing I could do; by the time I saw it, the caterpillar was already clamped firmly in the Greater Coucal's beak.