These incredible photos show reptiles of the Amazon plodding around with all sorts of butterflies hanging around them. You’ll see them resting on their heads and may think “it’s weird that those turtles are giving them a ride”. What is happening in reality, however, is that the butterflies are drinking the turtle’s tears which are laced with sodium. Since sodium is becoming almost impossible to find in the Amazon, the butterflies have taken to drinking it up off of the turtles, who don’t seem to mind too much!
The butterflies are landing on the heads of the yellow-spotted river turtles of the western Amazon, along with other reptiles.
But what exactly are they doing there? They’re drinking the reptiles’ tears.
The liquid in the eyes of the reptiles contains sodium, which is a mineral that has become harder and harder to find in the western Amazon. Naturally, the butterflies had to come up with a solution.
Reptiles get plenty of sodium through their meat-eating diet, while butterflies can’t seem to get enough.
So, the butterflies use the resources at their disposal – and it doesn’t seem to bother the turtles too much.
Apparently, there are enough crocodile tears to go around.
Watch a butterfly and a bee drink a crocodile’s tears:
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