|
If there's one thing you demand in a lover, it's fidelity, and you'll go to some extreme lengths to stifle a partner's philandering. If you had it your way, you'd carry a tube of Krazy Glue on dates and keep your lover attached.
You're a Phoebus Parnassian!
The purpose of a chastity belt, remember, was to prevent intercourse. A sphragis accomplishes the same feat. What's a sphragis? The white pouch hanging from the abdomen of a Phoebus Parnassian butterfly -- a female Phoebus Parnassian, to be precise. The male of the species secretes it while mating -- it contains sperm and some nutrients -- and the substance hardens upon contact with the air. Once in place, the sphragis keeps the female from mating again. Yet it doesn't interfere with flying or with the laying of eggs.
Read more about the Phoebus Parnassian
See what other types are out there....
Want to learn more about moths that wear perfume, flies that steal other flies' dates, and salamanders that drug their mates? Click on the pictures below to discover animals’ surprising love lives.
|
|
eNature Quicklinks
WildlifeGuides: Nature in North America
LocalNature: Your neck of the woods
|