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- 1. 50 Remarkable Facts About Butterflies
- 2. There are 7500 species of butterflies on earth, and they account for 10% of the total population of living creatures on the planet.
- 3. In the USA, the cabbage white butterfly is probably seen more often than any other butterfly. It is the most common species in America, and although it is called the cabbage white butterfly, it isnt, because its most distinctive feature is the two black spots on the top of its wings.
- 4. Contrary to popular belief, monarch butterflies travel long distances to escape the cold, not to reproduce. They fly over 2,500 miles to find a warm place to overwinter. Other butterfly species that do the same include the Red Admiral, Cloudless Sulphurhead, American Lady, and Cloud jumper.
- 5. Climate change is affecting butterflies: The North American monarch butterfly has been greatly affected by climate change due to the loss of its natural habitats. In the last 25 years, its population has declined by 90%.
- 6. Butterflies do not have taste buds in their mouths. Instead, amazingly, they have sensors on their feet that allow them to taste things when they land on them.
- 8. Butterflies have supervision that is far better than the human eye. They can see beyond the ultraviolet spectrum, allowing them to perceive more colors than the human eye. In addition, their eyes have over 6000 lenses that allow them to see in perspective. The human eye, on the other hand, has only one lens.
- 9. Adult butterflies are among the cleanest animals in the world. Most of them do not excrete anybody's waste at all, whatever they eat or suck up through their proboscis. They use all the energy from their food, which makes them one of the most efficient creatures in terms of nutrient consumption.
- 10. In reality, their wings are colorless. The reflection and refraction of light create the colorful wings we love about butterflies off colorless scales. If you touch a butterflys wing, you will have powder residue on your hands.
- 11. Butterflies come in many different sizes the smallest butterfly has a wingspan of only half an inch, which is about the size of your thumbnail the largest butterfly recorded, however, was massively larger and had a wingspan of over 12 inches, which is more than a foot tall.
- 12. Butterflies are very picky when it comes to their habitat. Some female butterflies only lay their eggs on certain plants. They would rather die than lay their eggs on another plant. Therefore, some butterfly species are in danger of extinction because the suitable plants are no longer there. 10
- 14. There are one species of butterfly that you cant outrun: the skipper can fly faster than a horse, making it much faster than humans. It can fly at an average speed of over 30 miles per hour. 11
- 15. Butterflies have extremely long tongues compared to their heads. Instead of sucking on their food, they use their tongues to suck up the nutrients. Dont be afraid if a butterfly touches you, it will probably just taste the moisture on your skin. 12
- 16. There are also some bloodsucking butterflies, the species resembles the vampire bat. With the difference that these butterflies do not have fangs. Dont worry, this butterfly species will not bite you to suck your blood, instead, they suck their tongues into open wounds of bleeding animals. 13
- 17. Male butterflies engage in an activity called puddly butterflies. they pedal and forage for food in muddy leaves. A group of male butterflies pedaling in puddles is called a puddle club. 14
- 18. Scientists thought butterflies were deaf. It wasnt until 2012 that scientists discovered that butterflies have ears. Some butterflies have their ears on their wings, which makes it easier for them to hear when a predator approaches. 15
- 20. Butterflies are cold-blooded, when the temperature drops to 55 degrees Fahrenheit or less, they cannot fly because they cannot regulate their body temperature and are completely immobilized in cold weather. 16
- 21. Butterflies are metamorphic creatures that transform. It takes nearly 15 days for a cocoon to hatch and transform into a butterfly. The butterflys transformation journey is often used as a metaphor for the human world. 17
- 22. A man in San Francisco saved a species of butterfly by planting ragwort flora in his garden and bringing caterpillars into his garden, which encouraged repopulation and led to this particular, battered butterfly species coming back to life. 18
- 23. Some butterflies can detect cemeteries, Artemisia vulgaris is a particular plant that grows on the ground above mass graves that butterflies love. This plant attracts butterflies. 19
- 24. Butterflies still remember their time as caterpillars, although they liquefy during metamorphosis, the neurons in their brains are organized so that they can fully remember their earlier days as caterpillars. This is the reason why certain species of butterflies only visit a certain type of plant. 20
- 26. Butterflies need sodium in their bodies and drink turtle tears to get it. One species in the Amazon is known to fly around turtles waiting for them to secrete tears, so the butterfly can drink them, but dont worry, it doesnt fly around you waiting for you to cry. 21
- 27. The origin of the name butterfly is uncertain. Perhaps it is based on the old idea that insects eat butter or milk. Or, less creatively, simply because the pale yellow color of the wings of many species resembles the color of butter. Another theory relates the name to the color of insect excretions, based on the Dutch word boterschijte. 22
- 28. Costa Rica is a paradise for butterflies. The country is blessed with 10% of all butterfly species in the world. In Costa Rica, you can see a variety of colorful butterflies in many different sizes. 23
- 29. There are many hermaphroditic butterflies, although few. Some butterflies have both a colorful wing and a solid color wing, showing that they are both male and female. 24
- 30. There are also parasitic butterflies, these mimic ants, and make the female workers work for them. It goes so far that female ant workers attack their real queens just to protect the parasitic butterflies. 25
- 32. Until now, the glue that butterflies produce to attach their eggs to leaves is still unknown. The glue that butterflies use is so strong that it is almost impossible to remove the eggs from the leaves. Scientists are still puzzling over the composition of the compound used. 26
- 33. There is an almost transparent butterfly Greta or Todd is one of the most amazing butterflies in terms of camouflage because it has almost transparent wings, it can easily hide from predators because its wings have low light absorption. 27
- 34. You can tell a moth from a butterfly by how they rest: a moth rests with its wings wide open, while butterflies close their wings when they recline. 28
- 35. Butterflies have long antennae that tell them the time. That is why they fly only during the day and rest at night. The antennae also serve as a personal flight navigation system. 29
- 36. Females are more dominant than males in most butterfly species. They are larger than their male counterparts and have a longer lifespan because of their role in laying eggs. 30
- 38. Butterflies are native to all 6 continents except Antarctica. Since they are cold- blooded they cannot survive in Antarctica. There have been some experiments conducted to try to settle butterflies in Antarctica, but all of them have failed. 31
- 39. Butterflies have their skeleton outside their body. This is called an exoskeleton, and this skeleton supports the butterflys body. Butterflies are distant relatives of crabs and lobsters because they also have exoskeleton bodies. 32
- 40. Butterflies are essential for pollination because they are the largest pollinators after bees. Therefore, it is important to take care of their habitat and natural environment. 33
- 41. Butterflies are very light, they weigh the equivalent of about 2 rose petals. Therefore, you cant even feel when a butterfly touches you. Even though they are so light, they can carry 50 times their body weight, as much as if a human were carrying 2 cars. 34
- 42. In Papua New Guinea, there was a farm where you could buy butterflies. Butterfly farming is a well-established industry in this country. The butterflies are often sold to foreign collectors. 35
- 44. There is a species of butterfly known as eight, nine, nine, and eight. This is because of the different wing markings, one wing has the number 89 on it and the other has the number 98. 36
- 45. If you have seen a butterfly with a broken wing, dont panic, it can be repaired. You can glue them back together and the wing will work again. But be careful when you reattach the wings because they are extremely fragile. 37
- 46. Many caterpillars are covered with stinging hairs that release painful toxins when touched. This is a common problem for hikers in forested areas because caterpillars are difficult to spot in the wild. Touching a caterpillar causes painful and itchy wheals on the body that can be treated with antihistamines. 38
- 47. The lifespan of a butterfly ranges from a few weeks to a year. most adult butterflies live only two to four days. exceptions are some larger butterfly species that can live for a few months. some smaller butterflies live only one day. Just enough to reproduce. 39
- 48. All adult butterflies feed on liquid: nectar, sand, mud, and water. Butterflies drink liquid by using a proboscis that acts like a straw. 40
- 49. A newly hatched butterfly cannot fly when it emerges from its cocoon. It must first spread its wings and pump fluid through all its veins to make the wings work. Once the wings reach their full size, the butterfly must wait a few hours for them to harden. 41
- 50. Butterflies are nearsighted, they do not need glasses to see, and they use their multiple eye lenses to perceive changes in their environment. They cannot judge depth and distance like humans. 42
- 51. Butterflies know various techniques to fool predators into not eating them. Some butterflies mimic their surroundings and pretend to be a much larger predators. Some butterflies have fake heads on the end of their wings to make predators think they can see them. 43
- 52. People used to think that butterflies stole butter. The butterflies used to fly straight around the buildings where butter was produced because these buildings were often near water bodies and flowers grew near water bodies. 44
- 53. There is a species of butterfly that attacks its predators. The mourning cloak butterfly hides when there is a predator nearby and when it is alone. But when there is a whole swarm of them together, they sometimes attack their predators like small birds and other insects to drive them away. 45
- 54. There are one species of butterfly that changes its appearance depending on the season. The swinging bush butterfly has a large spot on its wing that looks like a large brown eye in the dry season. 46
- 55. In some cultures, butterflies signify the soul. For example, in Japan, if a butterfly flies around you, it shows that you are being visited by someone you miss. In the Philippines, when a black butterfly flies around you, it is believed that someone close to you is about to die. 47
- 56. Mating with butterflies can take from a few minutes to a few hours. The female butterfly usually initiates the mating process and attracts a male by flying around it. 48
- 57. The butterfly as we know it today evolved from the nocturnal butterflies. 49
- 58. Butterflies and ants have a strange relationship. Some butterfly species can communicate directly with ants. Some ants act as bodyguards for butterflies. 50