| Monarch Butterfly Migration - It’s All About the Spots Mark Waghorn - SWNS | |
| go to original June 26, 2023 |
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Migratory monarchs have larger and more white spots than non-migratory relatives. (Butterflies of America via SWNS)
The great migration of monarch butterflies from Canada to Mexico is down to white spots on the edge of their wings, according to new research.
It solves the mystery of one of nature's most famous journeys, spanning 3,000 miles, say scientists.
How the monarch got its spots sounds like one of Rudyard Kipling's Just So Stories. But the more it has, the better it is at reaching its long-distance wintering destination.
It's believed the spots change airflow patterns around the wings. Monarchs are the only insects to attempt such a massive trek.
Lead author Dr. Andy Davis, of Georgia University, said: "We undertook this project to learn how such a small animal can make such a successful long-distance flight.
"We actually went into this thinking that monarchs with more dark wings would be more successful at migrating because dark surfaces can improve flight efficiency. But we found the opposite."
The orange-winged wonder travels more than 3,000 miles from all over North America to spend the winter hanging from oyamel fir trees in mountain forests.
It has been performing the feat for thousands of years. How an animal with a brain the size of a poppy seed navigates to this one special place has baffled ecologists for decades.
The monarchs with less black on their wings and more white spots were the ones that made it to their ultimate destination in south and central Mexico.
Davis said: "It's the white spots that seem to be the difference maker."
The US team analyzed nearly 400 wild monarch wings collected at different stages of their journey, measuring color proportions.
The study in PLOS ONE found successful migrant monarchs had about three percent less black and three percent more white on their wings.
Read the rest at Times Bulletin
Related: Guide to Experience the Monarch Butterflies in Mexico (Mexperience)
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