Kelsey Nowakowski

info Joel Sartore / National Geographic Photo Ark Motýl s latinským názvem strymon acis bartrami fotografovaný pro National Geographic Photo Ark Kelsey Nowakowskiclock 2 minuty Falešná hlava zachraňuje životy. Motýli z ohrožených floridských lesů přežívají díky kresbám na křídlech, které vypadají jako tvář s tykadly a očima. Predátoři útočí na nesprávné místo a motýl unikne s poškozeným křídlem, ale živý.

A fake head might sound like a magician’s prop, but for some butterflies it’s a lifesaving illusion. Many species—including the Bartram’s scrub-hairstreak, which lives exclusively in Florida’s pine rocklands, one of the world’s most critically endangered habitats—display markings on the back of their hind wings that resemble a face. A bright patch of color, faux “antennae,” an eyespot, head-shaped contours, and convergent lines combine to look like a creature staring upward.

Among the latest contenders in the fight against drug-resistant infections is a striking, black beetle with fiery red spots and orange-tipped antennae. Known for spending much of its life underground, the little-known American burying beetle could hold the key to developing the next generation of antibiotic treatments.