Butterflies 'eye spots'

Here's an interesting article I found on butterflies' eye spots, I've always thought they were designed to 'trick' predators but new research seems to suggest otherwise.


Why Butterflies Have 'Eye Spots'

By Stéphan Reebs, Natural History Magazine
posted: 31 August 2008 10:13 am ET

Owl butterflies in the genus Caligo are so named because of the large eyespots, or ocelli, on the undersides of the hind wings. When the butterfly lands and folds its wings over its back these eyespots are prominent and threaten would-be predators.

Some moths and butterflies bear circular, high-contrast marks on their wings that have long been thought to scare off predators by mimicking the eyes of the predators' own enemies.

Not so, say Martin Stevens and two colleagues at the University of Cambridge in England, who argue the marks work simply because they are conspicuous. (Predators are wary of prey with

striking patterns, as those patterns often warn of toxic substances.)

Read the whole article here:

http://www.livescience.com/animals/080830-butterfly-spots.html

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