Scientists have made a surprising discovery about butterflies

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Ученые сделали удивительное открытие о бабочкахRecently archaeologists have found in the rocks in the North of Germany, the fossil of the scales covering the wings, body and feet of the ancient of butterflies

Archaeologists have mined in the mountains in the North of Germany to the amazing fossil remains of butterflies.

Imagine a butterfly. Beautiful insect sitting on a flower and deftly sucking the sweet nectar with a long proboscis. Presented? Nice and romantic picture, but it was not always. Recently archaeologists have found in the rocks in the North of Germany, the fossil of the scales covering the wings, body and feet of the ancient of butterflies.

When researchers have carefully studied the find under a powerful microscope, they suddenly discovered on the scales solid pattern in the form of “Christmas trees”. This insignificant, at first glance, the discovery suggests that the ancestors of modern butterflies were the real jaws!

The fact is that most families of butterflies with hard scales has the mandibles, so that the presence of the jaws of the ancient insect was quite natural. However, the study of other scales, hollow and with holes, suggests that these insects were also the oral proboscis.

This is supported by traces of pollen grains and phytoplankton, whose age is about 200 million years — scientists tell about it in an article published in Science Advances. It is very strange, since flowering plants appeared in this region much later — from 160 to 140 million years ago. But what if butterflies, with the mandibles needed a proboscis? Do these winged beauties were flying leeches of your time?

Scientists believe that proboscis appendage and really not intended for the production of nectar. He probably helped retain moisture, which is very important in the arid climate: with the help of butterfly collecting-shaped selection with plants — not with flowers and seeds.

Earlier we wrote that the first butterfly appeared on Earth 200 million years ago when flowers was not. It found the scientists who found at least seven species of butterflies in the sample of fossilized deposits weighing only 10 grams.

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