A glasswing butterfly perched on a leaf
© Corianna Heise/Alamy
A glasswing butterfly perched on a leaf
Nature doesn’t need high-tech stealth gadgets you might see in a spy movie—it has the glasswing butterfly. Though scientists are still studying how this insect evolved see-through wings, they know that the properties of the scales on its wings differ from those of other butterflies. The scales are not uniform in size or arrangement, which allows light to pass through more easily, aiding in the glass-like appearance of the wings. It’s part of the butterfly’s clever adaptation—birds and lizards can’t eat what they can’t see.
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