Thousands of reasons to protect the rainforest
There are more than 250,000 known species of butterflies and moths in the world, making them the second most numerous group of creatures in the animal kingdom, after beetles.
Did you know there are more than 250,000 known species of butterflies and moths in the world? That makes them the second most numerous group of creatures in the animal kingdom, after beetles.
The abundance and diversity of butterflies in South America, and in the rainforests of the Amazon in particular, is unequalled elsewhere. In just 55 sq km of the Tambopata Reserve, in the Peruvian Amazon, more than 1,200 species of butterfly have been identified. That’s almost four times the number of butterfly species found across the whole of Europe.
South America’s butterflies are also exceptionally adorned with brilliant reflective colours and iridescent shades. Aircraft pilots flying over South American jungles have reported noticing the brilliantly-coloured wings of some butterflies!
Butterflies and moths around the world can vary spectacularly in size – some owlet moths have wingspans that reach an incredible 45cm, while the appropriately named micro-moth Stigmella ridiculosa spans just 2mm from tip to tip. The wings of the largest butterfly, the Queen Alexandra’s birdwing, can span 28cm.
Some types of butterfly are capable of extraordinary aeronautical feats. The longest recorded journey of a single butterfly is an astonishing 3,432km, covered by a female monarch butterfly that travelled from Canada to Mexico. And a flock of small tortoiseshell butterflies reached an altitude of 5,791m over the Zemu Glacier in the Eastern Himalayas.
Their feats of endurance also extend to surviving extreme weather: the woolly bear caterpillar – the larval stage of a tiger moth – may spend up to 10 months frozen solid at temperatures as low as -50°C in the high Arctic. In comparison, life in the tropical Amazon must feel like a picnic!
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