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This mystery photo is of a group of caterpillars or chrysalis.   Caterpillars and chrysalises begin life as a single egg on a leaf.   They later hatch, exiting the egg as a worm-like animal.   After building a cocoon, the caterpillar goes through a remarkable transformation into a moth or butterfly.  

The major difference between butterflies and moths are their sleeping habits.   As a general rule, but not always, moths are nocturnal.   Butterflies tend to be diurnal, or active during the day.

The Amazon is home to more moth and butterfly species than anywhere else on the planet. A single square mile of rainforest often houses more than 50,000 insect species. While caterpillars all have different life cycles, most will use metamorphosis to change shape completely.