Carnivorous Scavenger Butterflies Eat a Fish "Puddling"

Yeah, so butterflies lick salts from dead fish. I didn't know that.....

We found this strange exhibit of nature while wading across the Sipsey River on trail 209 in the Bankhead National Forest.

Pennywhistle Productions

Category:

Education

Tags:

• Scavenger
• Butterflies
• penny
• whistle
• productions

[Roulden]

almost as creepy as the deer that eat birds..............

[destinws2]

@Roulden

what?

[blakbanshee]

We saw 3 butterflies similar to the yellow ones in your video eating a dead squirrel this past weekend. Pretty odd, I thought they only ate pollen!

[destinws2]

@blakbanshee

They're actually just sucking salts out of the carcass. It's how they replenish the nutrients in their bodies.

[FriScho]

jungle is lacking salts and minerals, so animals gather everywhere they can find salty rocks or in this case a dead fish who has some minerals and salt in his body. They are not eating the fish, they consum salty liquids from the fish.

[MyHotshot100]

@destinws2 so pretty but yet so deadly

[gecko1986]

the butterfly is so called, because it also steals butter. (they do like salted butter) let yourself enlighten from an e(n)tymologist!

[irt3hsaint]

That's creepy as shit.

[xMrjamjam]

they see me nomin they hatin

[campion1211]

Its beautiful.... and repulsive

[TiaRae101]

Damn Nature you Scary

[shadowgun22]

they are salt addicts, they can't resist the white stuff.

[snijkens91]

all butterflies love the salmon dance :P

[MiamiRSVP]

youd think they'd put their eggs in the fish to eat the insides and grow into carnivorous man eating caterpillars!!! Muahahahaah

[MrLavaball]

@destinws2 Some deer eat bird carcasses to gain minerals they lack often times sodium and calcium :)