Content
- Curiosities about butterflies
- Where do butterflies live?
- how butterflies are born
- procession of the butterflies
- butterfly mating
- butterfly birth
Butterflies are among the most popular and beloved invertebrates in the world. The butterfly's delicate shape and the diversity of colors that its wings can have, make this insect an extremely flashy and curious animal, both for its morphology and its life cycle.
If you want to know the butterfly reproduction, how butterflies are born, discover how they live and learn about their metamorphosis, continue reading this article by PeritoAnimal. Let's explain in detail all these aspects of butterfly reproduction.
Curiosities about butterflies
Before explaining in detail how the butterfly cycle is, it is necessary to know that they are part of invertebrate animals, specifically, of the order of Lepidoptera. Although the best known species are diurnal, most butterflies are nocturnal animals. The diurnal animals are named Rhopalocera and the nocturnal ones heterocera.
Among the curiosities about butterflies, there is their oral apparatus because it has a very fine horn that curls and unrolls. Thanks to this mechanism, adult butterflies are able to release nectar from flowers, their main food. During this process, they also fulfill the role of pollinating animals. In the earliest stages of life, however, these insects feed on leaves, fruits, flowers, roots and stalks.
Where do butterflies live?
It is possible to find them all over the world, as some species are able to survive even in polar zones. Most of them prefer warmer areas with abundant vegetation. Some, like the monarch butterfly, migrate to different regions during the winter, in order to complete the reproductive cycle.
The butterfly's metamorphosis is one of the main curiosities, as the reproductive and birth cycles follow some specific steps. Keep reading and learn more about reproduction of butterflies.
how butterflies are born
THE butterfly life expectancy varies depending on the species. Some survive only a few weeks while others survive for a year. Furthermore, factors such as weather conditions and the amount of food are crucial for survival.
O butterfly body is divided into three parts, head, chest and abdomen. The head has two antennae, while the thorax has six legs and two wings. In the abdomen are the vital organs, including the reproductive system. Males and females present sexual dimorphism, which are larger in males. It is also possible to observe color differences between the two.
The butterfly cycle begins with the reproductive process, which has two stages, courtship and mating.
procession of the butterflies
To know how butterflies are born It is important that you realize that courtship is a crucial step. Males perform the reconnaissance flight to look for females, attracting attention through pirouettes, spreading pheromone. Likewise, females respond to the call by releasing their own pheromones, which males are able to sense from miles away.
Some males, instead of seeking them, remain at rest under leaves or trees and begin to release their pheromones to attract potential mates. When they locate the female, the male beats his wings over her, in order to impregnate his antennae in the small scales he releases. These scales contain pheromones and contribute to the female being ready for mating.
butterfly mating
The next step in butterfly reproduction is mating. The two butterflies unite the tips of the abdomen, each looking in a different direction, so that the exchange of gametes takes place.
The male introduces his reproductive organ into the female's abdomen and releases a sac called spermatophore, which contains the sperm. The female's orifice receives the sac and it fertilizes the eggs, which are found inside the body.
In most species, mating takes place in a place where the specimens can remain static, such as a rock or leaf. During the process, the butterflies are vulnerable to attack by predators, so some develop the ability to mate while flying. These are the basic processes for understanding how butterflies reproduce.
butterfly birth
The next step in butterfly cycle it is the metamorphosis that takes place from the moment the female releases the eggs. Depending on the species, we're talking about 25 and 10,000 eggs. The eggs are laid on leaves, stalks, fruits and branches of different plants, each type of butterfly uses a specific plant species, which contains the necessary nutrients to develop the specimen in different stages.
Despite the amount of eggs deposited by females, only 2% reach adulthood. Most are eaten by predators or die due to weather effects such as strong winds, rain and so on. The metamorphosis of butterflies follows the following steps:
- Egg: measure a few millimeters and have different shapes, cylindrical, round, oval, etc.;
- Larva or caterpillar: once they hatch, the larva feeds on its own egg and continues to eat to grow. During this step, he is able to change his exoskeleton;
- Pupa: when the ideal size is reached, the caterpillar stops feeding and manufactures a chrysalis, either with leaves or with its own silk. In chrysalis, your body transforms to generate new tissue;
- Adult: when the process of metamorphosis is completed, the adult butterfly breaks the chrysalis and emerges on the surface. You must wait at least 4 hours before flying, during which time you pump bodily fluids so that your body hardens. When it is able to fly, it will look for a companion to repeat the reproductive cycle.
Now that you know how butterflies are born, you might be wondering how long it takes them to come out of the chrysalis? It is not possible to offer a certain amount of days as this process varies according to the species, the possibility that each one has to feed during the larval stage and the weather conditions.
For example, if the temperatures are low, the butterflies stay longer in the chrysalis, as they wait for the sun to come out. Despite appearing to be isolated, they actually notice the changes in temperature that take place outside. Generally the minimum time that a larva stays in a chrysalis is between 12 and 14 days, however, it can be extended up to two months if conditions are not good for survival.
If you want to read more articles similar to Reproduction of butterflies, we recommend that you enter our Pregnancy section.