These optical illusions are why butterflies are so hard to catch
Nature Podcast

These optical illusions are why butterflies are so hard to catch

B2Upper-intermediateSeptember 30, 202618 min

High-speed footage of takeoffs reveal that the butterfly markings mislead the eye, making them harder to catch. 00:45 Butterflies in flight create confusing motion cues that baffle birds Research Article: Hancock et al. 14:09 Research Highlights Research Article: Menezes and Podos Research Highlight: Huge hoard of metal bars hints at vast Iron Age trade Subscribe to Nature Briefing, an unmissable daily round-up of science news, opinion and analysis free in your inbox every weekday. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com...

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0:00

Welcome back to the Nature Podcast. This time, how butterflies can trick you into thinking they're flying one way when they're really going another. I'm Nick Petrichal. Butterflies are hard to catch, perhaps uniquely so. A new research in nature proposes that

0:52

this is down to their patterns, and how they confuse predators. You may think that butterflies are pretty and colourful to ward off predators. Don't eat me, their stripes say. I'm poisonous. Or that they're useful to attract mates. A dull butterfly may not stand a chance against a charming, colourful competitor. And you'd

1:16

be right. But that doesn't explain everything. For instance, butterflies in Europe aren't poisonous, but still have the bright patterns that suggest they are. It seems these patterns may also be doing something more. And the new study reveals something new. These patterns are sending predators the wrong way with a confusing motion cue.

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