In 2013, Gerard Talavera, a researcher at the University of Barcelona, was surprised to see painted lady butterflies on a beach in South America, in French Guiana. However, this species does not live in South America. At the time, the researcher noticed that the butterflies’ wings were damaged, as if they had just completed a very long journey.
In fact, Belle-Dame butterflies it’s known To cover very large distances. They regularly travel from Europe to sub-Saharan Africa, a distance of 15,000 kilometers. But crossing the Atlantic Ocean without any refueling point is a much greater challenge for these fragile little creatures.
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The research team, journalist Monique Brouillette, says in a Article from The New York Times. Therefore, several investigative methods were used to determine whether the butterflies on the beach had indeed succeeded in this feat. Their results were published in the journal Nature Communications.
First, they took pollen grains stuck to the insects and sequenced their DNA. They noticed that some of these grains came from plants found only in West Africa, evidence that the butterflies were present in that region.
They then studied the genomes of the butterflies found in Guyana and determined that they originated in Europe or Africa. Analysis of hydrogen and strontium isotopes in their wings also confirmed that they originated there, as the ratios of these isotopes vary depending on geography.
Finally, meteorological data showed that the butterfly group benefited from favorable winds to cross the Atlantic.
Researchers We also assume that to conserve their energythey The well-known flight strategy is reportedly used in monarch butterflies.which consists of flapping its wings only to stay in the air and allow itself to glide.
But scientists believe this crossing was accidental. While making their usual journey from Europe to Africa, the butterflies would have been carried by winds over the Atlantic Ocean, and they would have simply continued flying until they reached land. Their journey would have taken between five and eight days. However, this is the first evidence that insects can cross an ocean.
