How do butterfly digest their food?

Answer 1

Butterflies, like all insects, digest their food inside a tube (called the alimentary canal) that runs from mouth to anus. To eat, a butterfly uncoils its long snout (proboscis) and sucks in nectar. The food enters the alimentary canal, gets digested, its nutrients absorbed, and waste excreted.

Answer 2

Butterflies have what could be thought of as a divided nervous system, in that although they do have brain(cerebral ganglion) in their head, other significant portions of their nervous system are located elsewhere in their body, mostly along and below the digestive system (ventral, rather than dorsal as in vertebrates).

They have an antennal lobe called Johnstons organ just forward of the brain, at the base of the antennae, and a sub-esophageal ganglion (a bundle of neurons located below the tube leading from the mouth), and thoracic and abdominal ganglia also. These ganglia are connected in a line by nerve cords, and nerves branch out from those ganglia to all parts of the body.

These 'mini-brains' allow that a butterfly can walk and fly even with its head removed.

The butterfly's nervous system also allows them to see, hear, taste, and feel touch, as well as walk and fly.

(See the links below for additional information.)

Answer 3

Butterflies have a specialized tube-shaped tongue called a proboscis that allows them to suck up liquid food like nectar. When they feed, they use this proboscis to soak up the sugary liquid, which then travels to their stomach for digestion. Solid waste is expelled as a pellet-like substance.

Answer 4

The digestive system of the butterfly is located in its abdomen. They suck nectar from flowers and other liquids, so proteins are extracted from the good and then excreted.