The highest flying bird in the world is probably the African vulture. This predatory creature from the vulture family lives in Africa and can fly at an altitude of up to 11,277 meters above the Earth. At least once, the bird collided with an airplane at exactly this altitude. There is very little oxygen in the upper layers of the atmosphere, but the veins of the African predator contain blood with a special type of hemoglobin, thanks to which oxygen consumption becomes more efficient. The fact that some birds fly at high altitudes is unlikely to surprise anyone. But have you ever wondered at what maximum altitude insects can fly? And which of them is the record holder? Now you will find out.
Some species of insects fly at altitudes that many other animals can only dream of
The authors of IFL Science recently began searching for an answer to the question of which insect flies the highest. They decided that this question could be answered in two ways. First, they could name an insect that really managed to catch at a great height. Secondly, we can name an insect capable of flying at extreme heights in theory.
Flight altitude record among insects
According to the Guinness Book of Records, the most impressive result in flight altitude is possessed by the urticaria butterfly (Aglais urticae). Representatives of this species of insects are common not only in Russia, but also in many other countries of the world. As can be understood from the name, the caterpillars of these butterflies feed on nettles.
The familiar tortoiseshell butterfly. Photo source: wikimedia.org
Every autumn, tortoiseshell butterflies migrate to warmer parts of our planet to escape the cold. After wintering, they migrate back to their breeding grounds. Butterfly Migration— it is always a very long journey over long distances. And, as observations show, sometimes they can fly at a very high altitude.
Butterfly migration is one of the most beautiful spectacles in the world. Image: scientificrussia.ru
One day, tortoiseshell butterflies were spotted flying over the Zemu Glacier, which is the largest glacier in the Eastern Himalayas. This ice mass is 26 kilometers long and is located at the foot of Kangchenjunga in the Himalayan region of Sikkim (India). The butterflies were spotted flying at an altitude of 5,791 meters – scientists have not yet found higher-flying insects.
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How high do insects fly
If we talk about insects that can rise to record heights only theoretically, these are alpine bumblebees (Bombus impetuosus). Chinese scientists once caught male bumblebees at an altitude of 3,250 meters. Alpine bumblebees are far from the record of the tortoiseshell butterflies, but the experiment showed that if they want, they can fly even higher than the record holders.
Who would have thought that bumblebees could fly so high? Photo: wikipedia.org
As part of the experiment, scientists placed bumblebees in a chamber made of organic glass. Then they changed the atmospheric pressure in the container using a hand pump to see how this would affect their ability to fly. The experiment showed that alpine bumblebees can theoretically fly at air pressure typical for an altitude of 9,000 meters. That is, bumblebees can fly to the top of Everest, but whether they need to is another question.
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The insect with the largest wings
The highest-flying insects are the familiar butterflies and bumblebees. They amaze us with their abilities even though they do not have large wings or other outstanding features.
It would be much more logical if the insects with the largest wings flew the highest. In 2014, in the mountains of China's Sichuan province, scientists managed to catch an insect with a wingspan of 20 centimeters.This is almost as long as a simple pencil – for insects, such a wingspan is quite impressive.
An insect with giant wings. Photo: kp.ru
It belongs to the Corydalidae family of insects and looks like a dragonfly. However, it has frightening lower jaws and pincers. Scientists have noted that males can easily bite through human skin with their help, but they mainly use them to attract females. Another interesting feature of these insects with huge wings is their short lifespan, which is only a few days.
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We met the insects that set flight altitude records. Do you know which bug can live for 50 years? You can read about the long-lived insect in this article.