Animals

The March of the Red Crab
A Moth Find a New Home
Suicidal Birds
A leopard and A cheetah
The Spectacular Hornbill
The Antelope with an extraordinary nose
Masquerading Males
Tiny But Powerful
Electric Fishes
Paternal Care
Hairless Cat
Passionate Parrot
Calling Out To Mother
Hot Wheels
Discs On Their Wings
Two-humped Camels
Frozen Frog
Silken Chambers
Earth Pig
Swordsman of the Sea
The Ostrich Trick
Electrifying Meal
Bizarre Turtle
Grey Whales
The Flying Lemur
The Winged Fishing Creature
Llamas
A Different Sort of a Parrot
The Tailless Cat
The Ancestor Of The Rhino
Acquisitive Wood Rats
The Butterflyfish
The Amazing Jumper
The Largest Deer
The Devil’s Coach-Horse
The Porcupine With A Prehensile Tail
The Irritating Fencing
The Acrobatic Otter
The Busy Termite Colony
Superb Mimics
The Canary
Snow Monkey
Jumping Spiders
Glass Lizard
Beetle Rhino
The World’s Smallest Bear
Hygienic Ants
Flat as a Pancake
The Carpet Shark
The Centipede Walk

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Beautiful casualties

By Rani Iyer

Dependant on wild plants for food, and open countryside the butterflies are vulnerable to changes in the environment. In recent years, humans have caused harm to the butterflies. Destruction of rainforests for plantations, agriculture, roads, dams and other projects has meant that more butterflies are now classified as endangered species. Human activities such as spraying of insecticides, and herbicides harm the butterflies.
Beginning in 1776 when Moses Harris published his classical work, The Aurelian, butterflies have become collectable items. Species such as Jamaican large Swallowtail butterfly, Queen Alexandra's birdwing, and Philipine Swallowtail butterflies are very popular with the collectors. All these species are now declared endangered.

Not all collectors collect for vanity. Dedicated collectors since the eighteenth century have added to the large collections in The Musem Nationale d'Histoire Naturelle, Paris; The Smithsonian, Washington, D. C.; The Natural History Museum, London. Because of these earlier works, we are able to identify some of the extinct species today.
World over, butterflies are casualties of development and disturbance. Large copper butterfly, Black-veined White butterfly, Californian Xeres Blue, and Zebra swallowtail have not been spotted for several decades now. Butterflies like blue Morpho, are collected for making Morpho wing pendants. Only male butterflies are captured, as they are brighter than the female butterflies and slower in flight.
Reintroduction of species that have not been observed in some areas for a while has been attempted in Europe and North America. The Large Blue butterfly, Regal Fritillary butterfly, and sub species of Large copper butterfly have been re-introduced. In tropics, such studies are difficult because of the large numbers of species.
Local residents can help conserve butterfly populations. They can aid by growing food plants. Adult butterflies lay eggs on the leaves of these plants and the caterpillar eats and grows on them. Providing places or spots for puddling could be one of the ways to provide water and salt to the butterflies. Protecting known food plants and plants with eggs can also help the population of butterflies. With care, dedication, and effort, we can try to preserve these beautiful creatures from becoming casualties of development.

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Last updated on :12/27/2003