Transparency in Butterflies, from A-Z: It’s More of a Superpower Than We Thought
Published:24 Jan.2022 Source:Marine Biological Laboratory
Like invisibility in legends, transparency in nature is a powerful tool. Most transparent animals live in the ocean, where a close visual match with the water renders them almost invisible to predators.
On land, transparency is rare and difficult to achieve, but some butterflies and moths (Lepidoptera) do have transparent wings. And a new study indicates transparency can serve not only to camouflage them, but in other cases to signal and warn predators, "Don't eat me! I'm toxic."