Transcript:

Today on Animal Fact Files we’re discussing butterflies. In our moth episode we discussed some of the differences between butterflies and moths, but we’ll quickly go over those again here. The classification of butterflies and moths is disputed but it’s generally accepted that butterflies evolved from moths. These animals all have scales covering their wings - a trait that’s unique to them in the insect world. Butterflies are typically diurnal, have smooth, clubbed antennae, and rest with their wings closed while moths are mostly active at night, have fuzzy antennae, and rest with their wings open - but there are exceptions to these parameters so this isn’t a definitive way to identify them. Butterflies and moths in their adult forms both have a proboscis which can be rolled up underneath them; both of these insects also go through complete metamorphosis meaning they start life as an egg from which a larvae hatches - these are often called caterpillars - the larvae then forms a chrysalis (which is typically called a cocoon in moths) and develops into the adult stage which has wings. Adult butterflies are usually more brightly colored than adult moths but, again, there are exceptions to this such as the luna moth who comes in green hues. If you want to know more about moths specifically we recommend checking out our episode on them, but for now, let’s talk about butterflies!

There are roughly 18,000 living butterfly species. Technically, some sources will split up butterflies and other insects that look very similar to butterflies and are known as skippers, but for the purposes of this video we’ll be discussing butterflies and including the skippers - basically skippers differ from butterflies because they have bent antennae and are typically bulkier in shape. Butterflies are found on every continent besides Antarctica and they may be found from tropical rainforests to alpine mountain peaks to deserts to arctic tundras. Some species, like the monarch, go through huge migrations while others are relatively sedentary.

Butterflies, in all their life stages, are intrinsically linked to plants; it is here that they live, sleep, breed, and eat. Some species are quite specific to a select number of plants while others may be found on a variety. Plants help to hide butterflies from predators including birds, frogs, lizards, spiders, dragonflies, mantids, ants, wasps, flies, and more. But plants also give many butterfly species a toxic taste to deter predators. And some species that don’t eat toxic plants may instead mimic the species that are toxic meaning predators avoid them as well. Other butterfly species may appear like inedible things like bird poop in order to avoid being eaten. Some caterpillars will actually fling their poop so they don’t leave a trail that could lead a predator to them, and some look like the plants in which they live.

Caterpillars and adult butterflies may both eat from the same host plant or different host plants, though they do generally take different meals. While caterpillars may eat leaves and can be considered pests, the adults may gather flower nectar and be touted as pollinators! Amazing what a few weeks in a chrysalis can do for your image! Adult butterflies may also eat aphid honeydew, bird poop, mammalian dung, tree saps, rotting fruits, and animal carcasses. There are even some who drink turtle tears! Many adult butterflies have a lifespan of a few short weeks, though the longest living adults can survive almost a year! The adults find each other by patrolling for a partner or putting on flashy displays from a perch. They’ll mate, sometimes as early as the day they emerge, and the female will deposit her eggs on leaves, logs, and other surfaces. It may be days to up to ten months before the eggs hatch and the larvae emerge. Sometimes larvae stick together and others will set off on their own. As they eat they’ll grow and have to shed the outer layer of their body, called the cuticle, to increase in size. A larvae will do this from four to nine times before becoming a pupae and forming a chrysalis. It may be a week to months before the adult emerges. When an adult butterfly emerges its wings must unfurl and dry out before it can begin to fly. This process can take hours!

For more facts on butterflies, check out the links in the description. Thank you to Missy Day for today’s request! Give a thumbs up if you learned something new today, and thank you for watching Animal Fact Files!