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Adult
butterflies use their senses of sight, touch, hearing, smell, and
taste to survive in the world, find food and mates, lay eggs in an
appropriate place, migrate, and avoid hungry predators.
SIGHT
Butterflies have large, compound (multifaceted) eyes, which allow
them to see in all directions without turning their heads. Like
most insects, butterflies are very nearsighted, so they are more
attracted to a large stand of flowers rather than individual plants.
Butterflies do not "see" colors such as red, green, and
yellow, but sense polarized light, which indicates the direction
the sun is shining, as well as ultraviolet light, which is present
on many flowers and guides butterflies to nectar sources.
SMELL
Butterflies have a very well-developed sense of smell, but its
not in their nose (since they dont have one). Sense receptors
located in their antennae, legs, and many other parts of the body
help butterflies find food (usually flower nectar), and mates (the
female smells the male's pheromones).
TASTE
Butterfly's feet have sense organs that can taste the sugar in nectar,
letting the butterfly know if something is good to eat or not. Some
females also taste host plants in order to find appropriate places
to lay their eggs.
Adult butterflies and moths feed using a probiscus, a long, coiled
tube. Butterflies force blood into the tube to straighten it out,
allowing them to feed. Butterflies get all their food from this
tube.
HEARING
Butterflies dont have ears. Instead they "hear"
sounds through their wings by sensing changes in sound vibrations.
Butterflies
may posses senses we don't even know about yet because their anatomy
is very different than ours, and therefore difficult to understand
when perceived through our own human senses.
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