When it's cool, female butterflies chase males in sex role reversal
Sunday, January 9, 2011 - 07:30
in Biology & Nature
If you want to be surrounded by females on the prowl, it pays to be cool, at least if you are a male butterfly. In an unusual example of sex role reversals, females actively court males after being exposed to cool, dry temperatures as caterpillars, researchers report. Raised in the moist and warmer season as larvae, males take up the traditional roles of suitor, displaying their wing designs to females who do the choosing.