These butterflies use their proboscis, like a mosquito's, to drink the blood of warm-blooded animals. At the same time, human blood is the most pleasant delicacy for them. And now the not-so-good news: the habitat of these insects is expanding more and more. They used to live only in Malaysia and Southern Europe, but chances are they will soon be near you.
So let's find out more about them...
Some tropical butterflies are bloodsuckers. Their rough proboscis is capable of piercing the skin of mammals. It is believed that at first the butterflies pierced the skin of the fruit to drink the juice, and then they became accustomed to drinking blood. In the tropics there are butterflies that feed on the tear secretions of animals, mainly ungulates, such as buffalos. These butterflies launch their long proboscis into the tear ducts and suck out the tear secretions. This is perhaps the only case when butterflies are carriers of diseases, in this case eye diseases.
Cutworms (“little owls”) belong to the family Noctuidae, the largest among butterflies, with more than 30,000 species. Some cutworms also suck up droplets of blood from wounds (Lobocraspis griseifusca), but are not capable of piercing intact skin.
In 2006, Jennifer Zaspel ( Jennifer Zaspel) bitten by a vampire. The vampire was not in a black cloak, with a pale face and long teeth. It was a moth, and it was a real vampire.
Dr. Zaspel is a biologist who studies insects at Indiana University. On one of her trips, she went to Russia to study the moth " Calyptra thalictri". These insects feed on the juice of certain fruits such as grapes, raspberries and peaches. The moth pierces the skin of the berry and sucks out the sweet juice with its long proboscis. But this moth does not only feed on juice.
Zaspel caught one specimen of the moth and kept it in a plastic bottle for several hours, starving. Then she stuck her thumb into the neck. A few minutes later, the moth settled on the biologist’s thumb and, having pierced the skin at the base of the nail, began to drink human blood.
The moth Calyptra thalictri is just one of many vampire animals. The most famous vampires are ticks, mosquitoes, bedbugs and, of course, bats. Being a bloodsucker is not easy, and the animals have to find different ways to select and attack their victims.
The moth that Zaspel studied is only one representative of vampire insects. Some species of the genus of butterflies feed on the blood of large mammals - rhinoceroses and elephants, and some prefer the tear fluid of these animals. But not all butterflies, even within the same species, feed on fresh blood.
Scientists who studied these insects caught 16 Calyptra individuals. All 16 butterflies were given the chance to suck blood, but only three pierced the skin with their proboscis and began to feed on the scientists’ blood. Others didn't even try.
True blood feeding has been recorded in noctuid moths of the genus Calyptra, which live in Southeast Asia. Calyptra eustrigata is a medium-sized butterfly in which the females pierce various fruits and suck out their contents.
Males have the same rigid proboscis as females, but do not feed on fruits. At night, they attack elephants, tapirs, rhinoceroses, buffaloes and pierce the skin, rapidly vibrating with their hard, sharp proboscis with teeth at the end - like a jackhammer. This butterfly bites very painfully, and drinks blood at a time from five to thirty minutes. An experiment was carried out, and it turned out that males can drink human blood - they pierced the experimenter’s finger, the sensation was like being pricked by a hot needle. Blood drinking for these butterflies became possible due to the fact that their ancestors switched to feeding on dense fruits and developed a hard proboscis.
As terrible as it may sound, bloodsucking butterflies were discovered in our Siberia. They turned out to be cutworms or night moths. Yes, yes, those same big night moths that flock to the light in the evenings and at night are not averse to tasting human blood.
How the calyptra thalictri (lat. Calyptra thalictri) drinks human blood was first discovered in Russia, in the Far East. Lepidopterologist (butterfly specialist) Vladimir Kononenko, observing the behavior of the butterfly, noticed that the calyptra, if no one bothers it, can suck blood for several minutes.
These butterflies usually drink liquid from the eyes of animals, but it is possible that they can also fly to the smell of blood if, for example, a person is injured. Like most butterflies, the bloodthirsty moth flies to light and the smell of red wine, to which sugar has been added. Calyptra can be a carrier of diseases. The proboscis of the calyptra has suction cups to attach to the skin. As a rule, the proboscis of butterflies is intended for drinking water and plant juice.
The length of the butterfly, with a wingspan, is 35-72 millimeters. Their long, hard proboscis is equipped with tiny suckers to attach to the skin. It was originally intended for drinking plant juice and water. Butterflies have adapted to pierce the hard skin of fruits. Some tropical species drink the tear secretions of large animals instead of blood.
The proboscis prick is quite painful. The bite site does not itch, but a small wound may bleed for a long time. If the butterflies are not driven away from the bite site, they can suck blood for 5 to 20 minutes.
The question arises - why do they still need blood? It’s not just that they switched to such an exotic cuisine. There is the following assumption, which, however, has not yet been precisely established. The blood of animals contains salt, which the males transfer to the female during mating. This “unusual sexual gift” provides salt to the butterfly larvae. Salt, or rather sodium, is necessary for their normal development.
A previously unknown population of vampire butterflies has been found and described by scientists in Siberia. Entomologists from the University of Florida (UF) believe that bloodthirsty insects have evolved from ordinary “fruit-eating” relatives.
Judging by the slight differences in the pattern on the wings, the little blood lovers are close relatives of the cornflower armyworm ( Calyptra thalictri), a butterfly common in Central and Southern Europe and some other parts of the world.
During the experiment, scientists donated their hands to butterflies. The insects sat on the palms and fingers, like mosquitoes, plunged their proboscis into human flesh and began to drink blood.
Photos of Jennifer at work. The theme of the opening just corresponds to the upcoming holiday - Halloween (photo UF).
Entomologist Jennifer Zaspel believes that the butterflies, which do not yet have an official Latin name, are an “evolutionary offshoot” of cutworms. This is the second population discovered by Zaspel and her colleagues in Russia (the previous one was identified in July 2006).
The scientists' future plans include comparing the DNA of foundlings, as well as other species. This is necessary to more accurately establish their relationship and confirm the hypotheses put forward.
“At this point, judging by the geographic location of the insects found, the behavior and the color of the wings, we can assume that this is a new species,” says Jennifer.
If it turns out that entomologists are really looking at a herbivorous butterfly that has retrained as a predator, then this species will make it possible to find out exactly how this happened.
To the question: Are there vampire butterflies? given by the author I'll be better the best answer is Finnish scientists have discovered that the vampire butterfly, which has recently spread to Estonia, can drink the blood of humans and animals.
How the calyptra thalictri (lat. Calyptra thalictri) drinks human blood was first discovered in Russia, in the Far East. Lepidopterologist (butterfly specialist) Vladimir Kononenko, observing the behavior of the butterfly, noticed that the calyptra, if no one bothers it, can suck blood for several minutes.
These butterflies usually drink liquid from the eyes of animals, but it is possible that they can also fly to the smell of blood if, for example, a person is injured.
Like most butterflies, the bloodthirsty moth flies to light and the smell of red wine, to which sugar has been added. Calyptra can be a carrier of diseases.
The proboscis of the calyptra has suction cups to attach to the skin. As a rule, the proboscis of butterflies is intended for drinking water and plant juice.
In tropical regions, cutworms are found that more or less regularly suck the secretions of the lacrimal glands of large mammals, consuming the amino acids contained in the tears. 
This butterfly bites very painfully, and drinks blood at a time from five to thirty minutes. An experiment was carried out, and it turned out that males can drink human blood - they pierced the experimenter’s finger, the sensation was like being pricked by a hot needle. Blood drinking for these butterflies became possible due to the fact that their ancestors switched to feeding on dense fruits and developed a hard proboscis. 
Some tropical butterflies are bloodsuckers. Their rough proboscis is capable of piercing the skin of mammals. It is believed that at first the butterflies pierced the skin of the fruit to drink the juice, and then they became accustomed to drinking blood. In the tropics there are butterflies that feed on the tear secretions of animals, mainly ungulates, such as buffalos. These butterflies launch their long proboscis into the tear ducts and suck out the tear secretions.
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Answer from 22 answers[guru]
Hello! Here is a selection of topics with answers to your question: Are there vampire butterflies?
Answer from Paleev Paleev[guru]
There are butterflies that feed on blood... Vampire butterflies!
Answer from Black Hundred[guru]
Aare Lindt, a butterfly specialist at the Estonian Museum of Nature, told Postimees Online that in Estonia, calyptra is found mainly in Võru County, in the Nightingale Valley in Rõuga and in Piusa. “A representative of this species was also found in the vicinity of Paide,” he said. “These butterflies usually drink liquid from the eyes of animals, but I do not rule out that they can also fly to the smell of blood if, for example, a person is injured.” Loves wine While talking about methods of catching butterflies, Aare Lindt noted that blood is not necessarily needed to catch a calyptra. Like most butterflies, the bloodthirsty night butterfly flies to the light and the smell of red wine, to which sugar has been added. Calyptra basilistnikov was first discovered in Finland in 2000. In seven years, this species has been spotted more than a hundred times. According to Lindt, this butterfly was first discovered in Estonia two years later, in 2002. Finnish professor Kauri Mikkola does not believe that the calyptra can be a carrier of diseases. Since the climatic conditions in Finland and Estonia are similar, we shouldn’t be afraid of this. As an entomologist, I don’t believe this nonsense, this scoop is not in the Red Book of the Moscow Region!!! !In accordance with the Law of the Russian Federation “On the Protection of the Natural Environment”, the Federal Law “On Animal World”, Resolution of the Head of the Moscow Region Administration dated 06.11.96 N 257-PG “On the Red Book of the Moscow Region” and the Decree of the Government of the Moscow Region dated 13.02 .97 N 11/4 "On the establishment of the Red Book of the Moscow Region" to approve the list of objects of flora and fauna included in the Red Book of the Moscow Region (Appendix).383. Basilfoil calyptra - Calyрtra thаliсtri (Workkhausen)
Answer from Grandmaster[guru]
Some tropical butterflies are bloodsuckers. Their rough proboscis is capable of piercing the skin of mammals. It is believed that at first the butterflies pierced the skin of the fruit to drink the juice, and then they became accustomed to drinking blood. In the tropics there are butterflies that feed on the tear secretions of animals, mainly ungulates, such as buffalos. These butterflies launch their long proboscis into the tear ducts and suck out the tear secretions. This is perhaps the only case when butterflies are carriers of diseases, in this case eye diseases.
Cutworms (“little owls”) belong to the family Noctuidae, the largest among butterflies: more than 30,000 species. Some cutworms also suck up droplets of blood from wounds (Lobocraspis griseifusca), but are not capable of piercing intact skin.
True blood feeding has been recorded in noctuid moths of the genus Calyptra, which live in Southeast Asia. Calyptra eustrigata is a medium-sized butterfly in which the females pierce various fruits and suck out their contents.
Males have the same rigid proboscis as females, but do not feed on fruits. At night, they attack elephants, tapirs, rhinoceroses, buffaloes and pierce the skin, rapidly vibrating with their hard, sharp proboscis with teeth at the end - like a jackhammer. This butterfly bites very painfully, and drinks blood at a time from five to thirty minutes. An experiment was carried out, and it turned out that males can drink human blood - they pierced the experimenter’s finger, the sensation was like being pricked by a hot needle. Blood drinking for these butterflies became possible due to the fact that their ancestors switched to feeding on dense fruits and developed a hard proboscis.
Answer from I-beam[active]
Calyptra (lat.) is a genus of butterflies from the Owl family. For the adults of some, mainly tropical, species of this genus, as an exception for the order Lepidoptera, feeding on the blood and tear fluid of mammals is known.
Scientists have questioned the claim that all butterflies are beautiful. They discovered a previously undescribed population of vampire butterflies in Siberia.
Experts at the University of Florida believe that they are relatives of European butterflies, namely the cutworm or sap-feeding night moth. It is those large night moths that flock to the light in the dark that are not averse to feasting on human blood. The pattern on the wings of bloodsucking butterflies differs quite a bit from the pattern on the wings of their vegetarian relatives.
To conduct the experiment, scientists had to let the butterflies sit on their palms. Insects, no worse than mosquitoes, drank human blood. The prick of the proboscis was noticeably painful, the wound bled for a long time, but there was no itching at the site of the bite. Butterflies can drink blood for 5-20 minutes if they are allowed to do so, of course.
It is noteworthy that only males drink blood, while females feed on the juice of fruits and plants.
The initial discovery of butterfly “vampirism” was recorded in 2006 by University of Florida entomologist Jennifer Zaspel. Entomologist D. Zaspel notes that this (the second one discovered by her) population of butterflies, while officially unnamed, clearly confirms evolution, and suggests that a new species has been found, judging by the geography of the discovery of new butterflies, the color of their wings, and, of course, by their behavior.
To confirm the origin of these butterflies, scientists plan to conduct DNA analysis and compare the DNA of the population of vampire butterflies and their putative relatives. And if it is clear that, indeed, a herbivorous butterfly has evolved into a predatory one, then this species will allow us to understand this process in detail.
The question arises: why do butterflies need blood? After all, according to experts from the University of Texas, butterflies originally used their proboscis to pierce fruits. Scientists make the following, not yet precisely established, assumption. Males share salt with the female during mating, obtained from the blood of an animal or human.
Thus, they provide salt, or rather sodium, to the butterfly larvae, which is very necessary for their development. There is practically no sodium in the leaves that the larvae feed on. Scientists could not find evidence that males, by consuming blood, prolong their lives.
Butterflies are news.
A day butterfly is the soul of a living person.
Night – deceased.
A butterfly flies around you - anxiety.
There are meadows fluttering among the meadows - you will have a pleasant time with young people or teenagers / contemplation of the spiritual development of the young soul.
Against the background of the sky, seeing a swarm of butterflies or a lonely butterfly is something associated with belief in an afterlife.
A butterfly caught in a web or caught by someone before your eyes - you will have to become an eyewitness to someone’s death / spiritual death, the death of the soul.
Catching a butterfly means loss.
Crushing is a nuisance.
To mutilate is betrayal / bitter resentment towards you.
Seeing sick, dying, burnt butterflies - someone is in dire need of your spiritual support.
A daytime butterfly hovering around a fire is a danger arising from too unpleasant spiritual work.
To see swallowtails moving their wings - someone’s loving souls / to become the object of someone’s kind and close attention.
Gloomy butterflies, frightening in their appearance, are a delusion of the soul, a danger of bad influence on it.
The blood-red butterfly is a ghoul.
Frighteningly huge butterflies - awareness of their insignificance.
Trying to catch butterflies means yearning for the dead.
At dusk, follow the flight of a night butterfly, follow it into the forest - be on the threshold of the secrets of the world of shadows; You are about to witness some strange phenomena.
Moths beat against the glass outside - some kind of connection with the soul of a deceased person. A warning about significant events for which you need to prepare.
A moth trying to fly out of a bright room - a feeling of guilt before a deceased person; pangs of conscience in general.
A moth suddenly flies into the window - a warning against actions that disturb the peace of the dead.
Seeing as if a huge butterfly (from a kitten) or butterflies are looking into the room, crawling on the glass, looking at you from the outside - a feeling of naked space, persistent thoughts and thoughts about the meaning of life, the mystery of death, etc. Have brought you to a dangerous edge / before - there is some amazing test.
A moth rapidly hovering around a fire means being on the verge of life and death / participating in the affairs of some sect, or your loved ones will be associated with it.
Seeing a large gray butterfly in the sun is a sign of trouble
Interpretation of dreams from the Noble Dream BookSubscribe to the Dream Interpretation channel!
Dream Interpretation - Butterfly
According to the belief of Bulgarians, Serbs and Croats, the soul of a witch leaves her body in the form of a butterfly during sleep.
Such a butterfly can strangle sleeping people at night and suck their blood, like a vampire.
In a number of cases, the belief about the soul of a witch in the form of a butterfly is transformed into a belief about the witch herself taking the form of a butterfly, or into a belief about the butterfly as a servant or assistant of the witch, carrying out her will.
According to Poles, the appearance of a moth takes on the form of a “zmora” - a neighbor in the form of a butterfly or mosquito enters the house through the window cracks at midnight and, sitting on the sleeping people, leans on the chest, crushes, strangles them.
The ability to strangle sleeping people is often attributed to some other animals and demons, especially the frog and the brownie.
Interpretation of dreams fromYour attitude towards familiar things may change.
How many insects do we eat without even knowing it? Why does your mattress become twice as heavy in 10 years? What's dirtier than a toilet?
Here are a few facts you're probably better off not knowing.
Unusual facts
1. The Romans used crushed mouse brain as a toothpaste.
2. When Eskimo babies have a cold, they mothers suck mucus straight from their noses.
3. It is known that butterflies drink blood.
4. On your desk, kitchen sink, shopping cart, mobile phone, restaurant menu and ATM more bacteria than in the toilet.
5. 20 percent of office coffee mugs contain fecal matter.
6. Koalas eat their mother's poop.
7. Fecal matter can pass through up to 10 layers depending on the type of toilet paper you use.
8. The average person eats about 500 grams of insects per year, mostly together with other food.
9. Your feet excrete about 20 liters of sweat in year.
10. If you sniff something, the molecules of that object become attached to the inside of your nose.
11. Yours chances of dying on the way to buying lottery tickets higher than your chances of winning the lottery.
13. Most of what we know about hypothermia(hypothermia), we got thanks to Nazi experiments on people.
14. Male chickens are most often thrown into the crusher, as roosters are not as tasty as hens.
15. About 2500 left-handers die every year due to the use of equipment designed for right-handed people.
16. Most ice cube machines are not washable. They even have a system to prevent the growth of mucus and other germs.
Amazing facts
17. Medium mattress doubles in weight in 10 years due to the accumulation of dust mites and their excrement.
18. If a male lion assumes dominance over the pride, he kills all the offspring of the previous head of the pack.
19. About 15 percent of the air we breathe in a metro station is human skin.