I don't mean how high above sea level, so if they're on a mountain range, how high off the GROUND will they fly? To me they don't fly particularly high, but I was just wondering if they could fly as high as a bird. The Lord of the Rings film was what provoked me into asking this, since there's a scene where a butterfly flies towards Gandalf on top of that tall black building and turns into a bird. I just wanted to know if it's possible for a butterfly to fly up that high.
2006-10-15 00:11:42 · 7 answers · asked by Katri-Mills 4 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Zoology
i'm only an entimologists brother but i know this. buterflies are very light. wind curents and updrafts have as much to do with where they are going as their own intent. it takes extreme resolve on teir part to get where they want to go. especialy if that is a continent away. buterflies require very litle oxygen so they cen reach extreme heights without deliterios efects. they can fly as high as the whims of nature take them until they die.
2006-10-15 00:24:30 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
I think (from memory) it is well over 10,000 ft, flying over mountains and get getting caught in high level airstreams, the latter may be habitually.
They probably go up on the hot air currents like some birds. When emigrating across the sea I would guess they go higher than it is practical to see them. However, today, the land based butterflies in England, well over land as most were immigrants, rarely flew above the height of a house before settling down again.
2006-10-15 12:38:51 · answer #2 · answered by Perseus 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
The fastest butterflies are the skippers Euschemon ssp, which can fly at 37 miles per hour (60 kilometers per hour), but most butterflies fly at 5 to 12 miles per hour (8 to 20 kilometers per hour). A few species can fly at great heights, as much as 10,000 feet (3,050 meters). Some species can also cover long distances, like the monarch butterfly Danaus plexippus, which can migrate 2,000 miles (3,218 kilometers) or more.
2006-10-15 07:24:35 · answer #3 · answered by Shreyasi J 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
During fall migration migrating Monarchs have been seen flying by tall buildings such as the Empire State Building at 1,000+ ft. Butterflies are picked up by storm fronts and moved 100's of miles, probably at altitudes of several thousand feet.
2006-10-15 07:23:19 · answer #4 · answered by Ellen 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Don't really know. Tried to follow one once but the little bugger could fly higher than me and got away.
2006-10-15 07:19:35 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
I think 30-50 m.
2006-10-15 07:24:57 · answer #6 · answered by el barrio hurricanes 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
depends how quick you are with a badminton racket.
2006-10-15 08:44:41 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋