lachryphagy
Sign in to savethumb|Two Julia Butterflies (Dryas iulia) drinking tears from turtles in [[Ecuador.]] Lachryphagy is the practice of feeding on tears and other eye secretions. Certain bees, butterflies, and flies have been observed feeding on the tears of reptiles, birds, and mammals, including humans. Lachryphagous insects gather nutrients, especially sodium and proteins, from the tears. Lachryphagous feeding can be unbothersome or painful, with some feeding insects damaging the eye and introducing pathogens to the host. Lachryphagy has been studied as a form of parasitism, commensalism, and puddling.
Wikidata facts
- Image
- A butterfly feeding on the tears of a turtle in Ecuador.jpg
via Wikidata · CC0
~21 min read
Article
13 sectionsContents
- Lepidopterans
- Hosts
- Birds
- Humans
- Feeding position and conditions
- Pathology
- Flies
- Bees
- Stingless bees
- ''Centris'' bees
- Other insects
- Notes
- References
thumb|Two Julia Butterflies (Dryas iulia) drinking tears from turtles in [[Ecuador.]] Lachryphagy is the practice of feeding on tears and other eye secretions. Certain bees, butterflies, and flies have been observed feeding on the tears of reptiles, birds, and mammals, including humans. Lachryphagous insects gather nutrients, especially sodium and proteins, from the tears. Lachryphagous feeding can be unbothersome or painful, with some feeding insects damaging the eye and introducing pathogens to the host. Lachryphagy has been studied as a form of parasitism, commensalism, and puddling.
It is best known as a behavior of butterflies and moths (Lepidoptera). Flies, stingless bees, and other insects such as cockroaches and lice have also been recorded feeding on tears, and there is evidence that some stingless bee colonies in Southeast Asia have specialized tear collectors as a division of labor.