Disrupting Mail. Heliconius erato, Red Postman Butterfly, ARTIS Amsterdam Zoo, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

The male Red Postman Butterfly has an intricate way of disrupting the 'mail' of other males. During mating, he administers an aromatic anti-aphrodisiac to his partner which wards off competing males. Thus his particular genetic make-up will be the only sort that the female butterfly transmits to the next generation.

Done