Page 41 - Wonderful Creatures: Children! Have You Ever Thought ?
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T THE HEATING SYSTEM
OF THE WINTER MOTH
When winter comes, many insect species inhabiting cold regions of
the world die from cold or lack of food. That is because insects are
delicate creatures, but there are some exceptions to this rule. For
example, owl moths look like butterflies and at first sight seem
very delicate. In reality, however, they are strong enough to survi-
ve tough winter conditions. Therefore these moths are also called
“winter moths”.
Like butterflies, a winter moth has two wings and a trunk to which
these wings are joined. In order for this moth to fly, the tempera-
ture of its thorax to which its wings are joined should be 30oC
(86oF). But the temperature where they live is usually 0oC (32oF)
and even drops below zero degrees from time to time. How can
winter moths survive such cold? What prevents them from free-
zing when they are motionless, and what enables them to fly in cold
weather?
This moth species is created together with a special heating system
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