Image via: Ryan M. Bolton
A butterfly drinking the tears of a turtle might sound like the premise of an awful emo song, but it’s a reality in many parts of the world. Drinking tears for sodium is known as lachryphagy, a common practice for many butterflies. Except for a temporarily blocked view, the act of a butterfly drinking the tears of a turtle does not harm the turtle in any way.
In this video, Yellow-spotted Amazon River Turtles and sodium-deficient butterflies are filmed in Peru. Don’t try this at home. Video via Ryan M. Bolton.