True Facts: The Crazy Defenses of Butterflies and Moths

Thank you:
Alicia Hodson
Jojo Rocha, IG: @Jojoinsects
Dr Marco Antonio Giraldo Cadavid
Dr Juliana Patricia Sosa Espinosa
Dr Tyson Hedrick
Dr Changku Kang
Dr Jesse Barber
Dr Akito Y. Kawahara
Dr Haider Butt
Konstantin Kornev
Dr Nipam Patel
Oshyan Greene
Jojo Rocha, IG: Jojoinsects
Dr Aaron Pomerantz
Damien Gailly
Dr Rachel Thayer

Barber JR, et al. Anti-bat ultrasound production in moths is globally and phylogenetically widespread. 2022 Jun 21;119(25):e2117485119. doi: 10.1073/pnas.2117485119.

Bode-Oke AT, Dong H. 2020 The reverse flight of a monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus) is characterized by a weight-supporting upstroke and

Brunetti CR, et al. The generation and diversification of butterfly eyespot color patterns. doi: 10.1016/s0960-9822(01)00502-4.

Chotard A, et al. Evidence of attack deflection suggests adaptive evolution of wing tails in butterflies. doi: 10.1098/rspb.2022.0562.

Corcoran AJ, et al.. How moths escape bats: predicting outcomes of predator-prey interactions. doi: 10.1242/jeb.137638.

Giraldo, M. A. (2008). Butterfly wing scales: Pigmentation and structural properties.

Hirata K, Otaki JM. Real-Time In Vivo Imaging of the Developing Pupal Wing Tissues in the Pale Grass Blue Butterfly Zizeeria maha: Establishing the Lycaenid System for Multiscale Bioimaging. doi: 10.3390/jimaging5040042.

Holmes GG, et al. Testing the feasibility of the startle-first route to deimatism.. doi: 10.1038/s41598-018-28565-w.

Iwata M, et al. Developmental dynamics of butterfly wings: real-time in vivo whole-wing imaging of twelve butterfly species. doi: 10.1038/s41598-018-34990-8.

Kim Y, et al. Prey with hidden colour defences benefit from their similarity to aposematic signals. Proc Biol Sci. 2020 Sep 9;287(1934):20201894. doi: 10.1098/rspb.2020.1894.

McDougal AD, et al. In vivo visualization of butterfly scale cell morphogenesis in Vanessa cardui. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2021 Dec 7;118(49):e2112009118. doi: 10.1073/pnas.2112009118.

Neil, T et al. (2020). Thoracic scales of moths as a stealth coating against bat biosonar. Journal of The Royal Society Interface. 17. 20190692. 10.1098/rsif.2019.0692.

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[MH-msdg]

Hey, I’m a Butterfly explainer at the American Museum of Natural History. I’m so glad to see that you are using so many of the newest articles to share color-related information too!

[AloisAgos]

I love how butterflies have literally weaponized jumpscares.

[Mystyx-Sama]

During my final years at Walmart I encountered an absolutely gorgeous giant, furry, white moth that somehow got into the store. I tried to put it back outside but it kept coming back in for some reason, which wasn't good with all the traffic around. So I let it rest on my shoulder till the end of my shift, at which point it finally fluttered away before I drove home. I'll always remember that day :)

[johnmarr]

Last summer I watched a Silver Washed Fritillary (the butterfly at 1m 45s!) being pursued by an Emperor dragonfly - they flew backwards and forwards a good few times before the butterfly, unable to shake off the dragonfly, abruptly closed it's wings and dropped into the long grass. There it remained motionless until the coast was clear - amazing to witness!

[sunnydoom]

I would love to see Ze Frank do a video on horses. They have such messed up biology its a miracle they exist. Like they can't vomit, they can only breath through their nose, they can't breath normally during full gallop (the movement of their body while running makes the lungs function) and there's more but too much to list here.

[DanGamingFan]

"And that, is how the lepidopterans do." I'm glad he brought that catchphrase back. Also, it's crazy how we think of butterflies as being so delicate, yet they have all these defensive measures. And the complicated way they display colors is incredible. Just when I think I know everything about nature, Ze Frank proves me wrong.

[OG_Cool_Cat]

“It’s like being in the middle of a battlefield and someone’s dancing around in a kimono.” 😂 Well that’s the greatest description of a butterfly’s life I’ve ever heard. 🤣

[jakubjanicki]

I love how this series went from dumb (but hilarious) hedgehog jokes to explaining actual cool science in an even more hilarious way.

[ogreenius]

Well that's it, my life has peaked becoming a little part of yet another amazing True Facts episode. I've been a fan for almost exactly a decade, so now I can die happy. 😄 Thanks Ze (and now Caitlin!) for so many years of impeccably combining laughter and learning. Nobody does it better and I can't wait to see where you take us next!

[carlyehooten]

"Ridden hard and put away wet!" A phrase that applies to horses, and how their hooves and foot bones can be permanently damaged by being forced to stand in a stall after working up a sweat. Definitely a good one for a video about horses.

[primachpepe]

Jerry is my favourite part of these. bless his heart, hes trying his best. Idiots need to take what work they can get

[wdwerker]

I absolutely love the way they credit all the scientists papers on the subject and present information in an entertaining manner.

[theroadstopshere]

If Jerry can keep his job for all these years, there's hope for all of us 🙏🏼

[TuleAC]

“Float like a butterfly it stings when I pee” 😂😂 2:48

[joshyoung]

"Just like that fart was initially sho- no." The comedic timing of that one word was unparalleled. You and Jerry are truly masters of the craft.

[billcynic]

0:44 "It's like being in the middle of the battlefield and someone's dancing around in a kimono."
I've watched enough anime to know that this person is by far the most dangerous warrior on the field, untouchable and able to cut down hundreds with ease.

[josephtibbs]

I'm a scientist who studies photonic crystals, and your explanation of structural color was top-notch. Keep up the good work!

[PhotonBeast]

Gonna quietly comment that the bats doing literal flips in the air while trying to catch their prey is pretty dope.

[capwnzor]

I was literally just thinking, “I haven’t heard Ze Frank say ‘and that is how the (insert creature name) do.’” 😂 thank you for bringing that back

[akgeber]

2:33 "So if you see butterflies flip flopping all over the place like the flying equivalent of a moshpit..." How haven't I seen it like that before? Beautiful😂🤘