Discovery of "Extinct" Butterfly
Knowing how much I love pop science, a friend called to discuss something he just read regarding the discovery of a specimen of Papilionoidea ediblitis, known commonly as the Eat-Me Butterfly.
[Click on image for a larger view]
Thought long to have been extinct due to its docile nature and poor flying ability when threatened, this is a significant find for entomologists worldwide. A major contributing factor to its extinction is the fact that the butterfly does not possess chemical defense common to all butterflies, thus it easily falls prey to virtually all predators.
Cindy Janders, department entomologist with the Butterfly Reclamation Program, said in a phone interview from the Amazon jungles, "This is a remarkable find. These butterflies are practically defenseless and appeal as a universal food source, making them extremely fragile."
The discovering team is still confirming the existence of a colony, but for now the location of this single specimen remains undisclosed. According to the field scientist Edward Schiller, "We have high hopes of finding a thriving colony of Eat-Me Butterflies." The hopeful Schiller added, "Collectors worldwide are counting on us."
Links of interest:
[Click on image for a larger view]
Thought long to have been extinct due to its docile nature and poor flying ability when threatened, this is a significant find for entomologists worldwide. A major contributing factor to its extinction is the fact that the butterfly does not possess chemical defense common to all butterflies, thus it easily falls prey to virtually all predators.
Cindy Janders, department entomologist with the Butterfly Reclamation Program, said in a phone interview from the Amazon jungles, "This is a remarkable find. These butterflies are practically defenseless and appeal as a universal food source, making them extremely fragile."
The discovering team is still confirming the existence of a colony, but for now the location of this single specimen remains undisclosed. According to the field scientist Edward Schiller, "We have high hopes of finding a thriving colony of Eat-Me Butterflies." The hopeful Schiller added, "Collectors worldwide are counting on us."
Links of interest:
- Wiki-Pedia - general info
- The Butterfly site - fun site, full of info
another point of view ...
omg - this is freakin' funny. i thought it was for real when i first read it, then it hit me when i clicked to get the larger image. - tw
I used to collect butterflies when I was a kid, and I definately would have been on the look-out for this beauty!
- Victoria
i LOVE this. it's very entertaining; my daughter really enjoyed it, she thought it was real at first.
- Joanne Walker
Thanks for visiting my blog - I *wish* my life was like Sex & the City!
Cute post, too!
HA!!! That's really good. I'm going to have to forward this to my mom. Mad props to you, great gag!!
love what's been done on your site since i first visited when there was only a couple of things.
good job!
LOUISE NILON: Thank you for visitng the blog, do come back!. The really weird thing is, there might not be a sandwich monkey, but there is a smoking chimpanzee. I almost thought it was a joke the first time I read it.
DREW: Last year's April Fool's joke: mock-up of MasterCard's "Priceless" campagin .. of my living in the Bay Area. If I find a copy, I'll have to post it.
KISSONTHEMOUTH: Yes, I actually do like butterflies, so this joke is close to me. As a kid, I did have ether jars, and collected so many butterflies I'm sure "Silence of the Lamb" is partially based on my childhood!
Haha, you had me going there until i clicked the foto to see a larger view and saw, "FOOD"!
ah .. i am graced by the visit of the dutched pinay .. now, my virtual world is nearly complete! good, good .. the masterplan is playing itself out perfectly, just as when i set into motion the eternal struggle of life and death under the african sky between predator and prey.
speak up!
omg - this is freakin' funny. i thought it was for real when i first read it, then it hit me when i clicked to get the larger image. - tw
I used to collect butterflies when I was a kid, and I definately would have been on the look-out for this beauty!
- Victoria
i LOVE this. it's very entertaining; my daughter really enjoyed it, she thought it was real at first.
- Joanne Walker
True Jersey Girl
Thanks for visiting my blog - I *wish* my life was like Sex & the City!
Cute post, too!
HA!!! That's really good. I'm going to have to forward this to my mom. Mad props to you, great gag!!
love what's been done on your site since i first visited when there was only a couple of things.
good job!
Nam LaMore
LOUISE NILON: Thank you for visitng the blog, do come back!. The really weird thing is, there might not be a sandwich monkey, but there is a smoking chimpanzee. I almost thought it was a joke the first time I read it.
DREW: Last year's April Fool's joke: mock-up of MasterCard's "Priceless" campagin .. of my living in the Bay Area. If I find a copy, I'll have to post it.
KISSONTHEMOUTH: Yes, I actually do like butterflies, so this joke is close to me. As a kid, I did have ether jars, and collected so many butterflies I'm sure "Silence of the Lamb" is partially based on my childhood!
Jo Travels
Haha, you had me going there until i clicked the foto to see a larger view and saw, "FOOD"!
Nam LaMore
ah .. i am graced by the visit of the dutched pinay .. now, my virtual world is nearly complete! good, good .. the masterplan is playing itself out perfectly, just as when i set into motion the eternal struggle of life and death under the african sky between predator and prey.
speak up!
previous 10 posts:
- Voice for the People: No Grapes Today
- Terri Schiavo Dies
- Carly Gone, Livermore Over-looked, Hurd Crowned
- Johnnie Cochran Makes History Again
- A Walkabout Into Asia-Pacific
- DNA Betrays Heritage
- Designer Babies: What's Wrong With That?
- To Netspeak or Not To Netspeak, That Is the Question
- Panda Now .. People Next
- Nuclear Energy: Is It Really an Option?