Butterflies Make ‘Extraordinary’ 2,600 Mile Flight Across Atlantic in First-Ever Insect Feat

New research suggests that a certain species of butterfly in South America originated in Europe and flew nearly 3,000 miles from West Africa across the Atlantic Ocean.

Knewz.com has learned that to complete the trip, these carder butterflies ( Vanessa cardui ) are believed to have relied on a so-called Saharan air layer, known to carry large quantities of dust from the world’s largest hot desert in Africa .

The study , documented through the Spanish National Council Research (CSIC), further noted that such a journey would take five to eight days and the success thereof was heavily dependent on an air layer also referred to as trade winds.

The academic realm was first tipped off to the phenomenon when a researcher, Gerard

Talavera from the Barcelona Botanical Institute in Spain , traveled to French Guiana in October 2013.

Talavera was taken aback when he identified several of these carder butterflies on the territory’s (east-facing) beaches.

This, for the researcher, was anomalous as these insects were not known to exist in South America.

According to the ensuing academic paper, the discovery then led to two hypotheses; the first being that the newly discovered population was born in continental North America, and the second that they were born in Europe or Africa.

Researchers favored a theory that these butterflies crossed the Atlantic. To support the latter, the paper noted:

“By analyzing wind trajectories, the researchers observed a sustained pattern of directionality from western Africa, which opened up the possibility that they had crossed the Atlantic.”

“By studying the butterflies’ genetic diversity, which required collecting samples from populations on every continent, the researchers determined that the individuals observed in South America were related to populations in Europe and Africa.”

These findings ruled out the possibility that the winged insects originated in North America.

To better ascertain this idea, the researchers examined the pollen and the DNA from the butterflies’ bodies.

The analysis surrendered traces of plants exclusive to tropical Africa indicating that the butterflies had at some point been in the region.

In a bid to solidify their beliefs, scientists analyzed the insects' wings as they generally retain traces of their surroundings from their larval stages.

The ensuing evidence pointed to European countries like France, Ireland, the United Kingdom , and Portugal.

“The carder butterflies arrived in South America from West Africa, flying at least 4,200 km over the Atlantic,” noted Professor Clément Bataille at Canada ’s University of Ottawa who co-authored the article.

“But their journey could have been even longer, starting in Europe and passing through three continents, which means a migration of 7,000 km or more. This is an extraordinary feat for such a small insect.”

Roger Vila, a researcher at the CSIC ’s Institute of Biology summed it up by saying:

“We tend to see butterflies as a symbol of the fragility of beauty, but science shows us that they can perform incredible feats. There is still much to discover about their capabilities.”