Some butterflies really do drink turtle tears, especially in parts of the Amazon rainforest. They are not being cruel or comforting a sad reptile. They are collecting sodium, an essential mineral that flower nectar often lacks and that can be difficult to find in rain-soaked tropical environments.
Why tears are worth sipping
Adult butterflies mainly visit flowers for sugary nectar, which fuels flight and daily activity. But sugar alone is not enough. Sodium supports nerve and muscle function, so butterflies must search for mineral-rich liquids elsewhere. A turtle’s tears offer a convenient, concentrated sip.
Using a coiled feeding tube called a proboscis, a butterfly gently draws liquid from around the turtle’s eye. Scientists call tear-feeding “lachryphagy.” The turtle may blink, turn its head, or simply tolerate the visitor. Researchers still debate whether the interaction is harmless or mildly irritating for the turtle.
More than one unusual meal
The behavior belongs to a broader feeding habit known as puddling. Butterflies, particularly males, gather sodium and other dissolved minerals from damp ground and surprising animal sources. They may drink repeatedly, excreting excess water while retaining useful salts that are difficult to obtain from a usual diet of sugary flower nectar alone.
Other mineral stops may include:
- Muddy puddles
- Riverbanks and damp soil
- Animal urine or droppings
- Human sweat
A tiny rainforest survival strategy
In the western Amazon, sodium can be scarce because the region lies far from ocean spray and the Andes block mineral-carrying winds from the west. That scarcity makes a turtle’s wet eyes valuable. Live Science’s report on Amazonian tear-drinking describes several butterfly species gathering around yellow-spotted river turtles to obtain sodium.
It is an example of creatures defying expectations, much like the physics explaining why an ant can survive a fall from a great height.