You never hear of anybody saying that they've got moths in their stomach.
That sounds like some kind of gastrointestinal problem
you should probably be seeking medical attention for.
And you never say that you're attracted to something
like a butterfly to a flame,
but why not?
Moths and butterflies are both classified in the order Lepidoptera,
but the taxonomic, or naming, differences get pretty confusing
so let's just focus on the morphological differences, or rather,
how you can tell them apart by sight.
One of the easiest ways of telling them apart
is by looking at their antennae.
Butterflies have antennae that are called "filiform," or needle-like.
They're long and skinny and they're clubbed or hooked at the end.
Moths, on the other hand, have feathery antennae.
Despite the differences in shape,
the antennae of both moths and butterflies are used for the same purpose,
and that is to detect sexy pheromones from members of the same species.
Once the moth or butterfly finds a mate and, uh,
they, uh...
You know.
The birds and the bees!
No, Stefan.
The moths and the butterflies.
Anyway, they have sex.
Eggs are laid and eventually a caterpillar hatches,
and it doesn't matter whether or not it's a butterfly or a moth.
They're both called caterpillars.
You could have a butterfly caterpillar
and a moth caterpillar
they're all- caterpillars!
After the hungry, hungry caterpillar has eaten all of the things
it will either form a chrysalis or a cocoon.
Butterflies form chrysalises
and moths form cocoons,
and the easiest way to remember that is that
butterflies form chrysalises
and moths form cocoons.
Although these encasings are structurally different,
they serve the same function.
To make a chrysalis, the butterfly larva will harden in its own skin.
To make a cocoon, the moth larva will create a protective shelter
out of any nearby materials that might be everything from
leaves, its own silk production, sawdust, and in some cases paper.
Despite the structural differences, the cocoon and the chrysalis serve the same function:
puberty!
To make the transition into adulthood,
the body inside of the encasing has to liquify
and literally rebuild itself before it's ready to emerge
as the beautiful adult that it is.
In comparison, I- acne doesn't seem that bad.
When they're ready to emerge,
the butterflies will burst out of their chrysalises
and the moths will use acidic spit in order to help
break down the protective walls of their cocoons.
Another way to tell whether or not you've got
a butterfly or a moth on your hand, or more likely in your garden,
is by how they sit when resting.
Butterflies rest with their wings together and up
and moths rest with their wings down on either side of their plump little bodies.
Butterflies
and moths.
And butterflies,
and moths.
Also, another difference is that
butterflies have typically long and slender abdomens
where moths are going to be fuller in shape
and their fuzzy little bodies are covered in
what looks like hair but are actually scales.
These scales help keep moths warm on lonely nights.
Butterflies don't have these so it's thought that
butterflies stay warm by actually absorbing solar radiation.
So if you're terrified of malevolent hoards of invasive butterflies,
remember that they're weakest at night.
Speaking of day and nighttime activities,
moths are the ones with the reputation for being active most at night.
That's not to say there aren't diurnal moths, that are active during the day,
but the majority of moths navigate by a process called
transverse orientation, meaning they're guided by
the light of the Milky Way or the Moon.
This is the same way that dung beetles mosey their poop balls,
or sea turtles find the ocean after hatching.
While moths are usually not as brightly colored as butterflies, there are exceptions
like the gorgeous Madagascar sunset moth, which is active during the day,
or luna moths, which are ethereal and gorgeous,
and can be used to fortify light armor potions in Skyrim.
So, there you have it.
Not only will you be able to identify
the unassuming lepidoteran you spot flitting around
your garden or at your porch light at night,
but you can rest easy knowing that it's
an acid-spitting, a solar-radiation-absorbing
wonder of beautiful nature.
Or something to that effect.
Special thanks to Jim Boone for all of his help on this episode.
This has been an episode of The Brain Scoop,
and thanks for watching.
Butterflies,
moths.
Butterflies,
moths.
Butterflies,
moths.