The life cycle of butterflies is one of the most interesting processes of nature, the birth of these insects requires several stages, during which they go through incredible transformations, do you want to know how the butterflies were born, in addition to knowing where they live and what they eat?? Discover these and other curiosities in this peritoAnimal article Keep reading!
Feeding butterflies in adulthood is mainly done from the nectar of flowers, how do they do it?Its mouthpiece has a spiral tube capable of stretching, which allows it to reach the nectar of any type of flower, this type of mouth is called proboscis.
- Thanks to this feeding system.
- Butterflies help spread pollen that adheres to their legs and are therefore pollinating insects.
- Now.
- What do butterflies eat before they become adults?When they hatch.
- They get their first nutrients from the egg that contained them; later.
- In the larval or caterpillar stage.
- They consume large amounts of leaves.
- Fruits.
- Branches and flowers.
Some species feed on smaller insects and less than 1% devour other butterflies.
The range of butterflies is very wide, as there are hundreds of species and subspecies, can be found all over the world, including some varieties resistant to cold polar temperatures.
Most, however, prefer to live in warm ecosystems with spring temperatures.Habitats are found in those with abundant vegetation, where they can have easy access to food, can protect themselves from predators and have places to lay their eggs after mating.
To understand how butterflies are born, it is necessary to understand that the reproduction of butterflies takes place in two stages, courtship and mating.
During courtship, males may do pirouettes in the air or remain static on the branches; In both cases, they emit pheromones to attract females and, in turn, also release pheromones for the male to find, even when they are miles away.
When the male encounters the female, it flaps its wings on its antennae to impregnate it with small scales full of pheromones.Once this is done, the procession ends and mating begins.
The reproductive organs of the butterflies are located in the abdomen, so they join their ends looking in different directions.The male inserts his reproductive organ and releases the sperm sac, with which he fertilizes the eggs within his partner.
At the end of mating, the female lays between 25 and 10,000 eggs in different areas of plants, branches, flowers, fruits and stems are sheltered from the eggs.
And how long does a butterfly live? Life expectancy varies by species, access to food and climatic conditions, some live between 5 and 7 days, while others have a life cycle of 9 to 12 months, after the breeding phase it is necessary to know how butterflies are born.
Now that you know how butterflies breed, it is time to understand how butterflies were born, the birth of a butterfly goes through several stages since the female lays her eggs on the plants, these are the metamorphosis phases of a butterfly, in other words, how butterflies are born:
Eggs are between 0.5 and 3 millimeters long. Depending on the species, they can be oval, long or spherical.The coloration can be white, gray and almost black in some species.The ripening period of the eggs varies with each, but many are consumed by other animals at this stage.
After the eggs hatch, the butterflies are born, the caterpillar begins to feed on the proteins inside the egg, then begins to eat the plant where it is, during this period, the caterpillar changes its exoskeleton to grow and doubles its size in a short time.
Once the required size is reached, the larval period ends, the caterpillar’s body increases its hormone levels and produces behavioral changes, so it begins to produce a chrysalis, which may be made up of leaves, branches or its own silk.
Once the butterfly chrysalis is ready, the caterpillar enters to begin the final phase of metamorphosis.In chrysalis, the caterpillar’s nerves, muscles, and exoskeleton dissolve to give rise to new tissues.
Depending on the species and climatic conditions, the butterfly may spend more or less time in the chrysalis; on clearer days, the butterfly will begin to break the chrysalis with its head until it emerges; once out, it will take 2 to 4 hours to do so.Fly. During this period, you must pump liquids to all parts of the body, which are still compressed by the position of the chrysalis.
When fluids are pumped, the wing ribs are stretched and deployed, while the rest of the exoskelelet cuticle hardens.When this process is completed, butterflies are born, she goes in search of a partner to mate.
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