Butterflies are one of the most interesting creatures on our planet. They’re beautiful to watch and they help keep our ecosystem thriving. But did you know that butterflies are also amazing creatures for other reasons?
Keep reading to find out the top interesting facts about butterflies.
1. Butterfly Wings Are Transparent
Butterflies are special. Butterfly symbolism can mean many things. One of the reasons they are so special is because of the beautiful color of their wings.
But did you know that butterfly wings are transparent?
They are covered in thousands of tiny scales that reflect light in different colors. But under those scales, butterfly wings are made up of chitin. They’re so thin, you can see through them.
2. Butterflies Taste With Their Feet
Butterflies have taste receptors the same as you do! Except they taste things with their feet instead of their tongues.
These taste receptors help them find plants and food. A female butterfly will land on a plant and drum on the leaves until it releases the liquid inside of it. Their legs also have chemoreceptors that help them figure out what plants have the right chemicals for them.
This helps her lay her eggs in the right place!
3. There Are More Than 17,500 Butterfly Species
Across the entire world, there are more than 17,500 species of butterfly in existence. In the United States, you can find only 750 of those!
Most of the various species of butterfly can be found in the rainforest and other places with a lot of vegetation.
4. Butterflies Can See Colors
Butterflies are nearsighted! This means that they can see up to 10-12 feet in front of them. Up to this distance, their eyesight is excellent.
However, anything beyond that is too blurry to make out.
Butterflies can also see in color! In fact, they have extra cones and rods which make it possible for them to see colors that we can’t see. These are considered ultraviolent colors.
They might also be able to leave behind ultraviolent markings with their wings to identify each other and locate potential mates.
5. Butterflies Live Only a Few Weeks
Once a butterfly emerges from the chrysalis, it only has a few weeks to live. Generally, most butterflies only live two to four weeks before their life cycle ends.
During this time, butterflies focus on eating and mating.
There are a few exceptions, however. Butterflies like monarchs migrate. These kinds of butterflies can live as long as nine months!
Want More Facts About Butterflies?
These are just some of the fun facts about butterflies. Butterflies are amazing creatures that can do incredible things. Did you know that butterflies use tricks to avoid being eaten, too?
Butterflies are amazing. They are creatures that start as caterpillars, form a chrysalis, melt into some kind of indistinguishable goo, reform, assemble their own proboscis, and then learn to fly. No animal on the planet is as cool as the butterfly.
For more fun facts about animals, keep reading!