True Facts: The Crazy Defenses of Butterflies and Moths

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Hey, I’m a Butterfly explainer at the American Museum of Natural History. I’m so glad to see that you are using so many of the newest articles to share color-related information too!

If Jerry can keep his job for all these years, there's hope for all of us 🙏🏼

I love how this series went from dumb (but hilarious) hedgehog jokes to explaining actual cool science in an even more hilarious way.

I'm a scientist who studies photonic crystals, and your explanation of structural color was top-notch. Keep up the good work!

During my final years at Walmart I encountered an absolutely gorgeous giant, furry, white moth that somehow got into the store. I tried to put it back outside but it kept coming back in for some reason, which wasn't good with all the traffic around. So I let it rest on my shoulder till the end of my shift, at which point it finally fluttered away before I drove home. I'll always remember that day :)

I love how butterflies have literally weaponized jumpscares.

Well that's it, my life has peaked becoming a little part of yet another amazing True Facts episode. I've been a fan for almost exactly a decade, so now I can die happy. 😄 Thanks Ze (and now Caitlin!) for so many years of impeccably combining laughter and learning. Nobody does it better and I can't wait to see where you take us next!

I would love to see Ze Frank do a video on horses. They have such messed up biology its a miracle they exist. Like they can't vomit, they can only breath through their nose, they can't breath normally during full gallop (the movement of their body while running makes the lungs function) and there's more but too much to list here.

Jerry is my favourite part of these. bless his heart, hes trying his best. Idiots need to take what work they can get

"And that, is how the lepidopterans do." I'm glad he brought that catchphrase back. Also, it's crazy how we think of butterflies as being so delicate, yet they have all these defensive measures. And the complicated way they display colors is incredible. Just when I think I know everything about nature, Ze Frank proves me wrong.

As a kid warching butterflies i always wondered how they got anywhere flying the way they do. It seemed so chaotic and unpredictable but they obviously managed. Your explanation of the mechanics and strategy of their flight was most enlightening. There really is method to the madness of lepidopteran aeronautics.

Also, for those who don't know, the mimicry mentioned @3:40 is called Mullerian mimicry (named after Franz Muller...who is dead), where two or more of the same species of animal share a warning to predators that leaving them alone is strongly good for their health.

I absolutely love the way they credit all the scientists papers on the subject and present information in an entertaining manner.

“It’s like being in the middle of a battlefield and someone’s dancing around in a kimono.” 😂 Well that’s the greatest description of a butterfly’s life I’ve ever heard. 🤣

Everyone involved with True Facts Is absolutely brilliant! Yes, Jerry too. The photography is beautiful, the editing is perfect, the writing is informative and incredibly amusing, and the delivery is fantastic. You drop little jokes in there so quickly that can easily be missed, so I have to watch each video several times to catch everything. I find I remember the facts you offer, probably because of the laughter. Thank you all for this wonderfully delightful show. If there are awards for these shows, you deserve 1st place for each and every one!

Last summer I watched a Silver Washed Fritillary (the butterfly at 1m 45s!) being pursued by an Emperor dragonfly - they flew backwards and forwards a good few times before the butterfly, unable to shake off the dragonfly, abruptly closed it's wings and dropped into the long grass. There it remained motionless until the coast was clear - amazing to witness!

0:44 "It's like being in the middle of the battlefield and someone's dancing around in a kimono." I've watched enough anime to know that this person is by far the most dangerous warrior on the field, untouchable and able to cut down hundreds with ease.

Gonna quietly comment that the bats doing literal flips in the air while trying to catch their prey is pretty dope.

"Just like that fart was initially sho- no." The comedic timing of that one word was unparalleled. You and Jerry are truly masters of the craft.