Monarch butterflies in Eastern North America complete one of the longest animal migrations. Often compared to marathon runners, these spotted pollinators traverse the continent, flying for more than two months and up to thousands of miles from their mating grounds as far north as Canada to their wintering roosts as far south as Mexico.
Scientists have long been interested in learning how exactly an insect that weighs less than a paper clip can travel for such long distances. Research up until now has suggested that changes in their metabolism, a voracious appetite for lipid-rich flower nectar, and the shape of their wings all play a part.
But a new study in the journal PLOS One published today finds that the colors on the monarch’s wings might influence its capacity for endurance flight as well. In a nod to the increasingly popular practice of biomimicry, where researchers try to replicate the natural world in engineering projects, the authors hope that studying the colors of the monarch’s wings will help them make drones more efficient.
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