Rex Trulove
There are a lot of misconceptions about the differences between moths and butterflies. Many of these have been passed down from one generation to the next, whether they are true or not. Part of the problem is that moths and butterflies look so much alike and go through the same life stages. The truth is that in many cases it is exceptionally difficult to tell them apart and even entomologists, who study insects, are occasionally stumped.
The following is a pictorial quiz. Each question will simply have a picture. The quiz will be to see how many you can identify as being either a butterfly or a moth.
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Question of
Butterfly or moth?
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Butterfly
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Moth
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Question of
Butterfly or moth?
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Butterfly
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Moth
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Question of
Butterfly or moth?
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Butterfly
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Moth
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Question of
Butterfly or moth?
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Butterfly
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Moth
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Question of
Butterfly or moth?
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Butterfly
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Moth
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Question of
Butterfly or moth?
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Butterfly
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Moth
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Question of
Butterfly or moth?
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Butterfly
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Moth
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Question of
Butterfly or moth?
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Butterfly
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Moth
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Question of
Butterfly or moth?
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Butterfly
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Moth
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Question of
Butterfly or moth?
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Butterfly
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Moth
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Nice quiz, beautiful images!
I made 2 mistakes.
That is a really good score! Way to go!
Only missed one. Damn you butterfly that looks like a moth!
That is still an excellent score. They can look so much alike that it is amazing. There are even some moths that don’t look like moths OR butterflies.
There is a whole family of moths that lives off the tears of larger mammals. Natural selection can lead to some pretty unnatural results…
Amazing, I never had to sort out butterflies from moths before! Good thing that I don’t have that job — I only got 70%, I will never forget now that some moths look like butterflies. Great job Rex, just like you always do!!
Oh, tweeted it for you as well!
Thank you so much! The difference between the two is something that most people don’t give a thought to. What I didn’t mention in the above is that there are something like 7,500 species of butterflies in the world and there are over 165,000 species of moths. They can look deceptively similar, but there are far more moths than butterflies.
You got 7 out of 10 right!
Good job!
6/10 I hadn’t seen most of them, but I think that butterflies usually run away from me and moths get in my house, haha.
A lot of the flowers I have in my flowerbeds and garden attract butterflies (and hummingbirds and honey bees…)
got 8 out of 10 right!
That is very good!
10/10 here, i know the trick. 😉 Hint: It has to do with just one body part.
Hmm…
Norman, you can find it by googling the main difference between the two. I am always out taking pictures of stuff I have never seen and having to look them up. I would say here, but it would really ruin the quiz for those to come.
That’s fair enough! It’s off to google I go 🙂
That is excellent! I also think I know which body part you are referring to. It isn’t 100% fool proof, though.
I did not know that, but I think I remember seeing a butterfly, its a big one, with the body part that looks like a moth. Trying not to give the secret away, you can later when you feel like it.
Or is it a moth that has the butterfly ones..lol
6 out of 10
That is pretty good!
4 out of 10 – tricky quiz. Didn’t realise they would be SO difficult to tell apart!
They are indeed and they sometimes even fool scientists.
8 out of 10
You did really well!
9 out of 10. I got everyone right except for the last one. The last one tricked me. LMBO!
9 is a really high score! Good job!
Thanks!
8/10 It might have been useful (or at least interesting) to have shared with us some of the attributes which actually do distinguish the two.
Part of the problem is that despite the number of websites that say otherwise, there are exceptionally few attributes that are uniquely shared by only moths or only butterflies. There are traits that are shared by many, but not all.
Ok, thanks for that, Rex 🙂
8/10. I see where problems can arise, although telling the difference is not always easy from a single glance and when you are not able to take other factors into account. There’s also the problem of butterflies/moths, just like birds, having hardly any species in common as between North America and Europe!
That is quite true, John. Then there’s the fact that there are far more species of moths than butterflies and that some moths are colorful, some butterflies are drab, some of both eat nectar, and so forth. Yes, many moths and butterflies that are common in the states aren’t found in Europe and the other way around. There is also a huge number in South America that are never seen in North America.