key point:
- Butterflies have six legs.
- Some butterflies in the Nymphalidae family, including the monarch butterfly, hold their forelimbs close to their bodies and appear to have four legs.
- Caterpillars have stubby forefeet – which help them grab and hold on to leaves and twigs.
- Without legs, butterflies cannot take off and land properly.
When introducing your favorite butterfly type to a friend, you might start by describing its wings. After all, a butterfly’s wings are its most attractive feature. The wings of these flying insects range in color from a simple brown with some white spots to bright yellow to a glowing blue-green. We know a lot about butterfly wings, but have you ever paid attention to a butterfly’s legs? In many ways, butterfly legs are just as fun as butterfly wings.
So, how many legs does a butterfly have? Find the answer to this question as well as facts about the purpose of the butterfly legs, their location, and the special way monarch butterflies use their two legs.
How many legs does a butterfly have?
A butterfly has six legs. Look closely at the butterfly’s body and you’ll see three parts: the head, a middle area called the thorax, and the abdomen. A butterfly has three legs on each side of its midsection, or thorax. The insect has a pair of forelimbs located closest to the head. Next comes its middle legs, and finally the hind legs near its belly.
Each leg has a femur (thigh), tibia (shin bone), and tarsus (foot). As you can see, butterfly legs have many of the same parts as human legs!
How does a butterfly use its legs and feet?
Of course, a butterfly uses its legs and feet to walk on flowers, hang on leaves or climb branches. But a butterfly uses its legs and feet in an unusual way.
Butterflies have sensors called chemoreceptors on their legs and feet. In short, a butterfly can smell a flower, piece of fruit, or other item simply by standing on it. These taste receptors allow them to determine whether they are standing on something edible, or something harmful. Think of the insect’s sensors as the taste buds in your mouth.
Do some butterflies have fewer than six legs?
No. But monarch butterflies and other members of their family make some tweaks to the way they use their legs.
Butterflies are classified into one of six families. These families are gray cats, gray bees, nymphalidae, papilionidae, pierididae and pufferfish. While all butterflies have six legs, butterflies in the family Nymphalidae use only four of them most of the time.
The monarch butterfly is a well-known member of the Nymphalidae family. Picture this lovely butterfly, with its bright orange and black striped wings, traversing a flowering garden. If you saw a monarch butterfly sitting on a flower, you might think it had only four legs. That’s because monarch butterflies and other butterflies in the nymphalidae family fold their two front legs against their thorax, so they appear to have only four legs. Their front legs are small and brush-like in texture. This is how these insects have earned the name brush-footed butterflies. Butterflies in this family use their middle and hind legs for walking and climbing.
Why do Nymphalidae butterflies have forelimbs?
So, if monarch butterflies and other members of the nymphalidae rarely use their forelimbs, why do they still have forelimbs? Well, while they rarely spread those legs, they’re still useful for a few things. For example, a monarch butterfly might use its forelimbs to groom.
When a butterfly in the family Nymphalidae lands on a flower, pollen sticks to it. The insect passes some of the pollen to the next flower it visits. This is called pollination. Dusty pollen left by a butterfly may use its forelimbs to remove it. In other words, these butterflies have a built-in brush!
What are Prolegs?
Prolegs are the stubby features on the bottom of the caterpillar’s body. They’re not the same as the bug’s six real legs. While its real legs help it walk, the caterpillar’s front feet are responsible for helping it grasp stems and leaves so it doesn’t fall. In some species of caterpillars, their forelimbs are like tiny suckers on branches or stems.
How many hind legs does a caterpillar have?
it depends. Certain species of caterpillars have more forefeet than others. Some caterpillars have as many as ten forelimbs. So, add its 10 original feet, and add its 6 real feet, for a total of 16. So, the next time you see a caterpillar moving slowly along the stem of a plant, you’ll know it needs both types of legs to get from point A to point B.
Do adult butterflies have hind limbs?
No, butterflies don’t have to move along stems or leaf-like caterpillars, so they don’t have forelimbs. These stubby legs disappear during the caterpillar’s transition from larva to pupa to adult butterfly.
Do butterflies really need legs?
Yes, butterflies need legs. When you picture a butterfly in your mind, you might picture it flying through the air or fluttering among flowers. Chances are, you don’t imagine a butterfly walking on the ground. But despite being known for their beautiful colors and wing designs, butterflies do need their legs.
In addition to taste sensors, butterfly legs are also necessary for this insect’s flight. It grabs a flower, twig or twig and starts flapping its wings. When its wing muscles warm up, the butterfly is able to take off and travel to its next destination.
If a butterfly doesn’t have legs, it can’t land safely. Additionally, the insects must find a way to hang in the air while they drink nectar or the juice of rotting fruit. That would take too much of the insect’s precious energy.
The legs of a butterfly are necessary for rest at night. Most butterflies hang upside down on leaves or branches when they rest after sundown. Butterflies cannot fly around at night because there is no sunlight to provide them with the warmth and energy they need to function. Don’t forget, butterflies are cold-blooded, so they cannot maintain a normal body temperature. These insects can only warm themselves up when the environment around them warms up.
Males and females must first alight on a leaf or stem to mate. This means the butterfly’s legs are essential for the species’ reproduction. In addition, the female butterfly uses her legs and feet to survey different types of plants to find the best place to lay her eggs. When the eggs hatch, she wants to make sure the newborn caterpillars have enough food so they can complete their full life cycle and eventually become adult butterflies.
How to check a butterfly’s legs without hurting it?
Studying a butterfly’s legs can be a challenging task. These insects seem to be always on the move! The legs and wings of butterflies are very delicate. So, it’s best to avoid trying to catch and control this insect. But there are ways to study them without compromising safety.
One idea is to cut some oranges in half and put them in a bowl with the fleshy side up. Next, place the bowl near a window where you can watch the butterflies gather and land on the oranges to drink their juice. If you make small moves, the butterflies may stay in the orange bowl long enough for you to study their legs. If you can snap a picture of the butterfly with your phone, you might be able to zoom in on the image for a closer look.
Find a butterfly show in your area. This kind of exhibit is where people can go to see various butterflies flitting around in their natural habitat. Many of these exhibits offer visitors slices of orange or other fruit to encourage butterflies to land on them. This is a great way to see details on the butterfly’s wings and legs. Of course, if a butterfly does land on your orange slice, just look at it and don’t try to touch it.
Caring for a butterfly cocoon allows you to get a close look at various parts of the butterfly. You can buy butterfly cocoons that come with instructions on how to care for them in your aquarium at home. So, when the butterfly breaks out of its cocoon, there you are! When these butterflies are ready to fly, they can be released outdoors.
Monarch butterflies are now listed as endangered
Eastern migratory monarch butterfly populations have declined by 80% over the past three decades and are listed as “endangered” by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). One of the main reasons for the decline is the use of herbicides, which has resulted in the loss of milkweed plants necessary for the reproduction of monarch butterflies. Climate change and forest degradation are also to blame, although efforts to achieve sustainable development and work with local communities in Mexico have stemmed the threat of forest degradation.
next…
- What flowers attract butterflies? : Check out our full guide before planting a butterfly garden!
- Butterfly Predators: What Eats Butterflies? : These beautiful creatures are not at the top of the food chain. Discover what preys on butterflies!
- Monarch Butterfly Lifespan: How Long Do Monarch Butterflies Live? : Read this informative article to learn more about the endangered monarch butterfly!
- Do butterflies drink blood? And 13 More Surprising Butterfly Facts: You’ll Be Shocked When You Read This!
I am broadly interested in how human activities influence the ability of wildlife to persist in the modified environments that we create.
Specifically, my research investigates how the configuration and composition of landscapes influence the movement and population dynamics of forest birds. Both natural and human-derived fragmenting of habitat can influence where birds settle, how they access the resources they need to survive and reproduce, and these factors in turn affect population demographics. Most recently, I have been studying the ability of individuals to move through and utilize forested areas which have been modified through timber harvest as they seek out resources for the breeding and postfledging phases. As well I am working in collaboration with Parks Canada scientists to examine in the influence of high density moose populations on forest bird communities in Gros Morne National Park. Many of my projects are conducted in collaboration or consultation with representatives of industry and government agencies, seeking to improve the management and sustainability of natural resource extraction.