A recent study from a scientist at the Oklahoma City Zoo is investigating the “Marie Antoinette” phenomenon in Monarch butterflies.
The phenomenon allows the butterflies to temporarily function without a head.
The paper was published in the American Entomologist by Dr. Emily Geest.
“When it first showed up, I thought, ‘Well, that’s weird.’ And then it kept showing up, which means maybe there’s something to this,” Geest said. “The big question is: is this because they’ve lost their heads, or is it genetics?”
Geest initially dismissed the “zombie Monarch” — believing it to be one in a million.
However, she realized with millions of butterflies around, one in a million isn’t that rare and there’s past evidence of other butterflies exhibiting this behavior.
“An 1879 article in the journal Nature describes a Painted Lady that was able to lay eggs a day after a bird removed its head, lending credence to the idea that it can be caused by trauma,” said a press release from the OKC Zoo.