Wednesday, November 4, 2009

Butterflies taste with their feet


When one thinks about taste one often relates it to the tongue or sensors in the mouth. However, weird as it may seem, a butterfly doesn't have a mouth to begin with. So how does it taste and eat its food? Well nature gave her something special: the ability to taste with its feet. So basically by just standing on a leaf, or any food, she could taste it. The taste sensors that are usually found in the tongue of a human, for example, are located on the bottom of the feet of the butterfly. And instead of having a mouth that allows it to bite or chew, a butterfly has what’s called a proboscis which is a long straw-like structure. It uses this structure to drink nectar and juices that it has already tasted with its feat.

Reference:
-Biology (2007, January 15), Butterflies taste with their feet. Message posted to http://biointerestingfacts.blogspot.com/2007/01/butterflies-taste-with-their-feet.html
-Image taken from http://www.yorkblog.com/teentakeover/img/ag-butterflies.jpg

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