How Many Eyes Does A Butterfly Have?

A butterfly (or moth) has two eyes, or, if you want to be more precise, two compound eyes. The anatomy of these eyes is vastly different from what our eyes consist of, which affects the way butterflies see things.

Now, I can assure you that the eyes are not the most crucial body part of a butterfly, yet they have special functions that can put animal lovers in awe.

Without further ado, let’s start our fun reading!

What you will learn after reading this article:

• The number of eyes that a butterfly has.

• The explanation for the myth: “A Monarch butterfly has 12,000 eyes”.

• Short facts about butterfly eyes.

All Butterflies Have 2 Hemispherical Compound Eyes

The most correct term to refer to butterfly eyes is “hemispherical compound eyes”.

In their caterpillar phase, our little charmers have 6 simple eyes that can only see the world in a monotone. However, they get rid of these eyes and adopt compound eyes once they become an adult butterfly.

While our human eyes have one lens each, a compound eye has thousands of tiny lenses working independently yet simultaneously synchronizing to create a bigger picture.

Every lens is angled a little bit differently from another, and together they form a broad vision for the butterfly. They can scan their surroundings up to 314 degrees for anything within a range of 1 – 20,000 cm.

Multiple lenses give the butterflies a mosaic view. Therefore, butterflies can detect motions, though they are very insensitive to shapes and sizes.

As soon as they feel another creature approaching, their reaction is to flee, regardless of how threatening that creature might be.

Polarized light is also visible for butterflies, hence they can locate the sun and use it as a guide for their flight.

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So, Why Do “Monarch Butterflies Have 12,000 Eyes”?

Like every other butterfly species, Monarch butterflies only have two compound eyes. Each contains 6,000 lenses. So they add up to 12,000 and make Monarch’s eyes one of the most complex structures among animals.

So, if you want to be correct, it’s better to say Monarch butterflies have 2 compound eyes or 12,000 simple eyes!

Monarch butterflies treat the sun like a compass, hence the ability to receive polarized light through their eyes is crucial for their migration.

Interesting Facts About Butterfly Eyes

• Butterfly eyes can receive 9 colors of light, including the ultraviolet that human eyes cannot pick up. Ultra-violet lights guide the butterflies to the flowers and their mates.
• Butterflies can observe almost the entirety of their surroundings, though their brains might not be able to connect everything they see to a large picture.
• Moths and butterflies can effectively detect and differentiate between light and darkness.
• Anything within 200m of the butterflies will be highly defined for them.
• Butterflies can see colors, yet not in the same way we do.
• Shapes seem to be beyond what butterfly eyes can capture.
• Some male butterflies pursue the wrong mates because they can’t tell the difference between the shape of a butterfly and an incest (a biologically inappropriate partner).

Read more: What Do Butterfly Eggs Look Like?

Conclusion

As each butterfly only has two compound eyes with multitudes of lenses, it is magical how complex a butterfly’s vision is. This vision covers a long distance as well as a wide angle, allowing them to detect potential dangers and escape quickly.

Have you got any other speculations on what butterflies can or cannot see? We would be thrilled to hear your stories!