The Blue Morpho butterfly is considered to be one of the largest butterflies with a wingspan from five to eight inches in width. An adult Blue Morpho butterfly uses its long proboscis to suck juice from rotten fruits.( I think that is kinda gross but if they like it, they like it.) The underside of their brillant, iridescence blue wings is a brown shade.
It is determined by some experts that the Blue Morpho may be considered as an endangered species! When they are catepillars, they are a red brown color. Which is cool to think of because when they are in the cacoon, the not only develope wings and a totally different body structure, but they change colors too! Their entire life cycle from birth to death is 115 days! Once dead, their wings are used to make jewlery and as inlay in wood working.
The Blue Morpho Butterfly lives in the tropical rain forests in Central America to South America. They reside in the canopy layer, but often go to the forrest floor to feed or find mates. Yes, they are endangered mainly due to deforestation and habitat fragmentation. They are also hunted to make jewelry. Then there are its natural predators like birds and the fact that they only live up to 115 days does not help their situation.
ReplyDelete