All About Butterflies Facts
About 140 000 species of them were counted all over the world.
All about butterflies facts. Like all insects they have six jointed legs 3 body parts a pair of antennae compound eyes and an exoskeleton. The four wings and the six legs of the butterfly are attached to the thorax. Butterflies are the adult flying stage of certain insects belonging to an order or group called lepidoptera. There are about 24 000 species of butterflies.
They can see beyond the ultraviolet spectrum allowing them to see more colours than the human eye. A female butterfly lands on different plants drumming the leaves with her feet until the plant releases its juices. Butterflies are beautiful flying insects with large scaly wings. It s extremely unusual for a butterfly of any species to live longer than a year.
Spines on the back of her legs have chemoreceptors that detect the right match of plant chemicals. Although most known species are tropical butterflies can be found living throughout the world from the tropics on the equator to northern regions above the arctic circle and from sea level to mountain tops over 6000 metres tall. What is a butterfly. Butterflies cannot fly if the air temperature falls under 55 degrees fahrenheit.
Even flowers have ultraviolet markings that signal pollinators like butterflies to come to them. Since butterflies are cold blooded animals they cannot regulate their body temperature which renders them completely immobile in cold weather. The word lepidoptera means scaly wings in greek. The butterflies have ultraviolet markings on their wings that help them locate potential mates.
Butterflies have super vision which is way better than the human eye. The brimstone butterfly gonepterix rhamni has the longest lifetime of the adult butterflies. Every year monarch butterflies will travel a great distance sometimes over 4000 km females will lay eggs and a new generation of monarchs will travel back completing the. Butterflies have exoskeletons which means skeletons outside the bodies.
The exoskeleton protects them and keeps the water inside their bodies so that they don t dry out. All butterflies are terrestrial meaning they live on land. Butterflies are beautiful flying insects with large often brightly colored wings. The thorax contains the muscles that make the legs and wings move.
Monarch butterflies are known for their long migration. The moths are even more numerous. There are approximately 20 000 species of butterflies in the world. Their eyes also have around 6 000 lenses allowing them to see things from different perspectives thus helping with their mobility when moving.
Scientists estimate that there are between 15000 and 20000 different species of butterfly. Butterflies have taste receptors on their feet to help them find their host plants and locate food. A butterfly of any biological sex will also step on its food using organs that sense dissolved sugars to taste. Some butterflies in the family lycaenidae spend part of their lives underground.
Many butterfly species are polymorphic and have the ability to blend in with their surrounding environment. Most butterflies feed on nectar from flowers. Butterflies have taste receptors on their feet. Moths also belong to this group.
When she identifies the right plant she lays her eggs. The adult butterfly only lives 3 to 4 weeks in average. Butterflies have two antennae on their head which they use to feel hear and smell. Birdwing butterflies have large angular wings and fly in a similar way to birds.
On average an adult butterfly lives about a month. Butterflies can be found in nearly all types of habitat including desert wetlands grassland forest and alpine. The butterfly s body is covered by tiny sensory hairs.