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Where in the rainforest do blue morpho butterflies live?
Blue morphos live in the tropical forests of Latin America from Mexico to Colombia. Adults spend most of their time on the forest floor and in the lower shrubs and trees of the understory with their wings folded. However, when looking for mates, the blue morpho will fly through all layers of the forest.
How do blue morpho butterfly survive in the tropical rainforest?
Blue morpho butterflies are well-adapted to their tropical forest habitats, having both behavioral and structural adaptations that allow them to feed, avoid predators and eventually reproduce. These adaptations are evident at all stages of the blue morpho’s life cycle, from an egg through to a mature adult.
What do blue morpho butterflies eat in the rainforest?
They do not drink flower nectar like some butterflies, but instead consume rotting fruits, fermented tree sap, fungi and even dead animals [1]. Blue morphos detect food mostly using sensory apparatus on their appendages as opposed to using visual cues.
Is the blue morpho butterfly really blue?
Blue Morpho Butterflies are Not Technically Blue Turns out the Blue Morpho’s wings are not actually blue at all! Of course, they certainly appear this way, but this is not the result of pigmentation. It is actually caused by the way light reflects off the microscopic scales on its wings.
What is the life cycle of a blue morpho butterfly?
The lifespan of the Blue Morpho is around four months. Most of their time is spent feeding and reproducing. All butterflies have a four-stage life cycle: egg, larva (caterpillar), pupa (chrysalis), and imago (adult). The changes they undergo during their life cycle is called metamorphosis.
Is the blue morpho butterfly rare?
In fact, the blue morpho uses structural color to get its particular shade of blue. Blue is actually an extremely rare color in nature. These butterflies have scales that overlap, refracting light similar to a prism.