The Greta oto or the glasswing butterfly may be the most stunning bug you’ve ever seen. Its sensitive wings have a mixture of orange and white color, similar to the ones of the monarch butterfly.
The remaining of its fancy wings have flawless clear panes that look like they’re windows.
Their stunning wings serve 2 purposes-the white stripes warn the predators of toxicity while the clear panes give the butterfly an opportunity to camouflage into its surroundings.
Why Are the Clear Wing Panes so Special?
In the stage of caterpillar, the glasswing butterflies lack chitin pigment, a material in insect exoskeletons and butterfly wings.
Without it, their wings don’t have color and are transparent because they’re very thin.
To stay protected from predators, their wings have nanopillars or a rough texture which averts the surface from being reflective or one that gives the illusion of ‘empty’ panes.
These insects are native to South and Central America; however, unlike other species of butterflies, these ones migrate seasonally and sometimes they may appear in Florida.
The butterfly travels at speeds up to 8 miles per hour and are stronger than other species. The nanopillars have motivated the scientists from Caltech to better the eye implant functionality.
If you want to take a closer look at these impressive butterflies, check out the video below:
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