This photograph series by Mark Cowan documents a phenomenon called ‘lachryphagy’ (“tear-feeding”). The caiman excretes salt in their tears & the butterflies need the precious minerals for their metabolism & reproduction.
So, they’re feeding on crocodilian tears.
(📷: Mark Cowan, Curtin Uni.)
https://bsky.app/profile/c0nc0rdance.bsky.social/post/3lunfcndhfs2e
It looks to me like the croc is laughing.
“It tickles!”I need a moment
Nooo we needs the delicious tearssssss :insect:
What is that photo in the thread of a turtle-like thing? That’s not a real animal, is it? It looks like a puppet.
Incidentally, beautiful photo, but I’m so brainrotted that when I saw the phrase “feeding on crocodile tears,” I immediately thought of cable news.
Wow, thanks! This is quite a specimen
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So this is how crinkle-cut potato chips get their salt?
Those photos brought me great joy. Thank you.
Nacho chip nose havin lookin ass
Wow, awesome shots
And they have serious meme potential
He’s just shedding crocodile tears to get sympathy.
Its a very cute photo especially because the lizard looks like smiling. but can you imagine how annoying it feels to have butterflies drinking our of your eyeballs!! Not dangerous enough to evoke selection pressure toward a method of dislodging them so the poor lizard is doomed to endure for eternity.
(Unless there was an eyeball disease spread by butterflies maybe)
![Check out this crazy photo. [Info inside]](https://hexbear.net/pictrs/image/10dec28f-33b8-4537-b24a-53c56ef4403f.jpeg){kind=link}