Published scientific paper shows Monarchs, other butterflies, can temporarily function without heads.
A recent paper from a scientist at the Oklahoma City Zoo and Botanical Garden explores a spooky recurrence: zombie butterflies.
In a paper published in the journal American Entomologist, Dr. Emily Geest, a Conservation Scientist at the OKC Zoo, describes the “Marie Antoinette” phenomenon in Monarch butterflies—butterflies who continue to function without a head.
“When it first showed up, I thought, ‘Well, that’s weird.’ And then it kept showing up, which means maybe there’s something to this,” Geest said. “The big question is: is this because they’ve lost their heads, or is it genetics?”
While she initially dismissed a zombie Monarch, she saw in 2017 as one-in-a-million, she realized that with millions of butterflies flying about, one-in-a-million isn’t all that rare. And headless butterflies are not limited to Monarchs, either. An 1879 article in the journal Nature describes a Painted Lady that was able to lay eggs a day after a bird removed its head, lending credence to the idea that it can be caused by trauma.
How they continue moving isn’t necessarily a mystery, Geest said. Monarchs, like all butterflies, have a decentralized nervous system—their brains aren’t only in their heads, but in ganglia (cluster of nerve cells) that repeat throughout the body.
“If one piece is lost, the body and nervous system can continue functioning, albeit for a short time—the insect has a substantially reduced capability to avoid predation and find food, and no ability to ingest any food it may stumble upon,” she wrote in her paper.
But some of the Monarchs people have documented have perfect wings, like they just came out of their chrysalis without a head, which would lean toward the idea that it could be genetic, as well. Shortly after the paper came out a video of a headless monarch was sent to Geest that had just come out of its chrysalis, further adding to the mystery.
Even though their brains are spread in clusters throughout their bodies, butterfly heads are still necessary for life. Monarchs use their antennae on their heads to orient themselves during migration and are sensitive to pressure from changing weather. And, of course, they can’t eat without a head.
“It’s weird and it’s strange, but that’s insects,” Geest said. “It highlights how unique invertebrates are from vertebrates.”
To view the paper in its entirety, click here.
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