The digestive and excreting systems of butterflies are different from those of humans and animals, as they release the waste from their bodies differently.
Can Butterflies Pee on You? Butterflies cannot pee or urinate on you because they lack the kidney, bladder, and necessary excretory system to produce urine. However, they can release liquid from holes in their abdomen to balance the fluid in the body and absorb more minerals, nutrients, and salts from other food sources. They usually release the abdominal drew when puddling around the mud, dung, sand, and other waste items.
They feed on liquid food items because they do not have teeth to chew the solids. Therefore, they do not poop, but the caterpillars are observed excreting feces called frass because they eat solid food items and expel the waste out of their bodies. However, caterpillars do not release liquid or urine.
Why do butterflies not pee?
The question that many people ask is how butterflies pee and poop because we usually do not see them releasing urine or feces like many other animals.
They do not urinate because they do not have the necessary organs and body systems to excrete the acidic liquid from their bodies.
They lack kidneys and bladder that produce urine by filtering the liquid in the body. They cannot excrete urine without the kidney and bladder because these organs transform the toxins into liquid form and transfer them to the cloaca or other excretory organs.
The whole system of producing and releasing urine from the body is absent in these insects, which causes them not to pee.
They have different anatomy to excrete the excessive liquid from their bodies, which is totally different from mammals and animals.
They spray out the liquid from their bodies and use the small hole in their abdomen to release it. The digestive anatomy involved in the process of expelling the wastewater from their bodies involves the Malpighian tubules.
The liquid they release from their bodies is mistaken for pee, and people think they can pee on them if they hold these colorful insects.
What liquid do butterflies release from their bodies?
Butterflies release the liquid called abdominal dew or abdominal sap because it is just the nectar, water, or sap they drink when foraging around their habitat.
It is not urine or poop but excessive liquid waste. They store the nectar or liquid in the crop after feeding from flowers, and enzymes in the crop break it down because they do not have the stomach to dissolve the food.
The nectar or liquid then passes into the midgut, where nutrient absorption occurs, and these nutrients are transferred to the body.
The waste is transferred to the Malpighian tubules, which act like the kidneys in humans and animals. Malpighian tubules are spiral tubes in their abdomen that help them excrete nitrogenous waste from their bodies.
The liquid they release is the mixture of nectar, water, and other food items they consume.
Once, I was holding a butterfly, and suddenly, I felt liquid drops on my hand. I thought the butterfly peed on me, and I instantly freed the insect and went to wash my hands.
I researched about how they pee and why they pee on me. I was surprised to read that these beautiful insects do not urinate but can release the watery fluid from their abdomen.
I did not know that and researched the details behind this behavior. I also learned they do not poop because they only feed on liquid food.
Why and when do butterflies release the liquid from their bodies?
Butterflies excrete the abdominal dew because the excessive water in their bodies will interrupt their flight, and they cannot fly efficiently with heavy bodies.
Therefore, they release the fluid to feed more and maintain their flight when covering long distances.
The required fluid and minerals get absorbed, and the extra liquid is released from the hole in the abdomen to avoid surplus buildup.
Moreover, my friend studied a lot about the digestive system of butterflies, and once, he told me about the pooping and urinating concepts of these insects.
I was astounded to hear that some butterfly species feed on the pollens and liquefy the solid pollens to make them consumable, such as the zebra-longwing butterflies.
This liquid is misunderstood with feces in different metamorphosis phases.
They release waste or excessive fluid to take more because they need large amounts of nutrients and minerals.
In addition, they usually release the abdominal drew during the mud-puddling because they need to absorb minerals, salts, and nutrients from it.
They release the extra and waste liquid to make space for more minerals because the nectar they feed does not provide all the essential minerals and salts they need to get energy.
Male butterflies puddle more often because they create the pheromones to attract the females and excrete the fluid during this process.
How often do butterflies pee?
Butterflies spray the liquid from their bodies, depending on the nectar they feed and their digestive system. The liquid excretion is not limited to the anus or the abdominal hole because they evaporate the water from the spiracles.
Moreover, I discussed the urine and pooping phenomena in different insects, including butterflies, with my cousin, as he had many insects in captivity and knew a lot about their behavior.
He said that different species show varying behavior in releasing the water and thick fluid droplets, as the monarch butterflies can go months without puddling and feeding on large amounts of flower nectar.
So, they avoid releasing liquid from their bodies for months. However, their flight patterns and life activities will get compromised if they do not have balanced fluid in their bodies.
He said the species that feed more often in a day will excrete more droplets, and he showed me some pictures of their droppings on the plant leaves.
What happens if a butterfly pee on you?
Scientists examined the liquid droplets of butterflies they release from their bodies and revealed that they do not contain toxic or harmful substances.
The liquid is just water or a mixture of ammonia and water. It does not cause disease or damage to your body if you accidentally touch it.
Moreover, these liquid droplets also do not contain smell or stingy odor, like the urine of humans, animals, and birds.
However, washing your hands after dealing with insects in your yard is better because they contain some parasites.
Once, I asked my neighbor about the toxicity of liquid that poisonous butterflies release because he often discusses the behavior and nature of these insects with me. He said that they store the poison in their bodies and do not exciter it in these liquid droplets.
What does butterfly pee look like?
The color, texture, and size of butterfly liquid droplets they release from the abdominal holes varies with species and their age.
For example, I have a small-sized butterfly, and he emerged from the cocoon or chrysalis stage in front of my eyes. I observed its activities for a few days, and it released a dark-colored liquid from their abdominal holes.
I searched for the reason and learned that this metabolic waste is accumulated in their bodies during their pupa stage and release after completing this metamorphosis phase.
Moreover, the color varies from gray, cloudy, and muddy because the appearance of the droplets varies with the diet, nectar, and digestive system of the specific species.
However, the caterpillar expels the solid droppings more frequently, and the color varies with the type of plant they feed on.
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