Some Like 'em Young - _TNY_6044
The Sara longwing (Heliconius sara) is a species which can be found in the rainforests of the Amazon basin and as far up north as parts of Mexico. This particular specimen was photographed at the Haga Ocean butterfly house in Stockholm, Sweden though.
This species practice a curious behaviour known as "pupal mating".
The chrysalids of females give of pheromones which attract males who fight for the "best" perch near them. As the female emerges from her chrysalid, one of the males will immediately mate with her.
After this, the female lay her eggs on passion flower vines which contain toxic compounds - but the caterpillars are immune to this and store the toxin, resulting in them becoming poisonous themselves as a protection against predation.
Some Like 'em Young - _TNY_6044
The Sara longwing (Heliconius sara) is a species which can be found in the rainforests of the Amazon basin and as far up north as parts of Mexico. This particular specimen was photographed at the Haga Ocean butterfly house in Stockholm, Sweden though.
This species practice a curious behaviour known as "pupal mating".
The chrysalids of females give of pheromones which attract males who fight for the "best" perch near them. As the female emerges from her chrysalid, one of the males will immediately mate with her.
After this, the female lay her eggs on passion flower vines which contain toxic compounds - but the caterpillars are immune to this and store the toxin, resulting in them becoming poisonous themselves as a protection against predation.