The Study of Butterflies 4 . Defences and Defensive Behaviour
Butterflies are a fine example of how creatures that are perfectly non-aggressive can survive in nature, from the harsh and cold Arctic tundra to hot deserts like the Thar and Sahara and, of course, in very large numbers in equatorial rain forests.
Abstract
Butterflies are a fine example of how creatures that are perfectly non-aggressive can survive in nature. Indeed, they are not only surviving, but are also thriving. These fragile-looking, shortIived creatures have been around for millions of years, much longer than humans, or even the genus Homo: 35 million year old butterfly fossils from Europe and North America all bear the distinguishing characters of modern-day butterfly families, so ancestral butterflies must have evolved much earlier than that. Butterflies are found almost everywhere that it is possible for a creature to survive, from the harsh and cold Arctic tundra to hot deserts like the Thar and Sahara and, of course, in very large numbers in equatorial rain forests.