1. The process of transforming from an egg, to a caterpillar, to a chrysalis, to finally end up in butterfly form is called complete metamorphosis. 2. Female butterflies can mate as soon as they emerge from their chrysalises, but males often require a few days before being ready. 3. Tiny holes in the surface of a butterfly egg allow the embryo to breathe even before it is ready to hatch. 4. Butterfly exoskeletons are made from a substance similar to the material that human fingernails are made of. 5. Butterfly eggs hatch within a few days of creation. 6. The main differences between moths and butterflies are that moths have furrier bodies, fly at night instead of during the day, and stay in their caterpillar forms for a much longer period. 7. Butterflies have receptors on their feet, tongue, and antennae that allow them to smell and taste. 8. The bodies of butterfly mothers create a special glue that they transfer to their eggs in order to prevent them from washing away in rain. 9. Most butterfly species only have a life span of up to two weeks. 10. Some caterpillars have the 'false eyespots' that some butterflies use to deter predators. 11. Swallowtail caterpillars have a hidden gland that they can shoot out at predators in order to deposit a substance with a terrible odor that acts as a deterrent. 12. Caterpillars make their cocoons using a spinneret located below their mouths. 13. During the chrysalis phase of its metamorphosis, caterpillars liquify themselves; this liquid then reorganizes and forms into a butterfly. 14. Despite years of scientific research, the exact way in which a caterpillar transforms into a butterfly is not entirely understood. 15. A butterfly has less than an hour after emerging from its cocoon to extend its wings before they harden; otherwise, their wings will be permanently stuck in a folded position preventing the butterfly from being able to fly. 16. A caterpillar's skin has detectors that send signals to its brain when it has grown too much to stretch anymore, telling the caterpillar to sit still until is has grown a bigger skin underneath and sheds the old one. 17. Over 17,000 species of butterfly have been identified, but scientists believe there are still thousands more yet to be discovered. 18. Although it has not yet been proven, scientists believe butterflies break their cocoons by taking in enough air to swell their bodies up. 19. Monarch caterpillars absorb toxins from milkweed plants that make predators sick, causing them to avoid eating more in the future. 20. Butterflies that have just emerged from their cocoons have two halves of a tongue that they must interlock into the tube-shape they need to suck nectar and other fluids. 21. Caterpillars that are feeling threatened can rear up on their hind legs in a posture similar to a snake that is ready to strike. 22. Skippers are butterflies that look like moths, making them difficult to identify. 23. Butterflies and moths both belong to the genus lepidoptera; only ten percent of lepidoptera species are butterflies. 24. Caterpillars spend several weeks doing nothing but eating, in order to store up enough energy to change into a butterfly. 25. Before using its proboscis to suck nectar from flowers, butterflies 'taste' the flower with antennae in its feet. 26. Butterfly bodies are made of three parts: the head, the thorax, and the abdomen. 27. Butterfly wings are covered with scales made of the same substance as their skeletons. 28. The evolutionary ancestors of butterflies first appeared 100 million years ago. 29. Although they appear to have only two wings, butterflies actually have four. 30. The American Snout butterfly has an unusually long palp on its face, giving it the appearance of having a big nose. 31. With a wingspan of over 9 inches, the Queen Alexandra's birdwing is the world's largest butterfly. 32. The smallest butterfly species is the Western Blue Pigmy, which has an average wingspan of barely over half an inch. 33. Butterflies have to absorb heat in order to move their wings. 34. Butterflies are able to see more colors than human beings can. 35. The painted lady butterfly can fly across a distance of 2,500 miles without stopping. 36. One of the most commonly-recognized species of butterflies, the Monarch, has become an endangered due to changing conditions in North America and Mexico.