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Beauty with a purpose

Butterfly and moth wings do seem to reflect the motto inspiring beauty pageants: 'beauty with a purpose'. The attractively coloured and designed wings make these cold blooded creatures not just beautiful but warm too.

Chitin, the material constituting butterfly scales acts as a thermoregulatory mechanism. The air gaps present in between are responsible for absorbing and reflecting sunlight. The thickness of the scales is also responsible for thermoregulation.

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