"Always Seeking the Answers"

"Always Seeking the Answers"
What are you wondering about?

Tuesday, April 20, 2010

Do Butterflies (and other insects) sneeze or cough?


All of the entomologists contacted were positive they had the correct answer. Butterflies and other insects don't sneeze or cough. It's particularly difficult for them to sneeze, as they do not possess true noses. So then how do insects breathe?
Butterflies and other insects breathe through holes in the sides of their bodies called spiracles. Spiracles are provided with valvelike devices that keep out dust and water. Some insects, such as some flies, june beetles, lubber grasshoppers, and notably the Madagascar hissing cockroachs, make sounds for communication purposes by forcing air out though the spiracles. Hence they hiss.
http://www.planetgreen.org/