Do Butterflies Actually Drink Turtle Tears?

We’ve reached a point where it's hard to trust anything you see online.

For instance, when I come across a seemingly controversial photo, the first thing I check for is extra fingers, because that’s a giveaway for AI-generated images. It seems like AI still hasn’t mastered the art of fingers. I'm immediately reminded of the old “Extra Fingers” commercial parody from SNL.

Exploring the Turtles and Butterflies Mystery

Speaking of things that make me immediately suspicious, Instagram and YouTube have been flooding my feeds lately with videos of butterflies attacking turtles. Yes, you read that right. Beautiful butterflies swarming poor turtles just trying to bask in the sun.

And yes, this says a lot about my browsing history.

Naturally, I had to investigate because I couldn’t sleep at night without knowing if something is horribly violent or super cute.

What Is a Commensalistic Relationship?

As it turns out, it’s real and quite fascinating. It's an example of a commensalistic relationship—not to be confused with a conscious uncoupling, like Gwyneth Paltrow’s divorce from Chris Martin.

READ MORE: What It Means if You Keep Seeing Dragonflies

When a relationship between two species turns commensalistic, it means one member benefits while the other neither gains anything nor is harmed. If you just glanced at your partner on the sofa, my apologies for inciting drama.

Some sources, like the Turtle Conservation Society, say freshwater turtles in the Amazon don't benefit from their interactions with butterflies. Others argue it's a more symbiotic relationship, where both species gain something.

Who Is Getting What Out of the Turtle/Butterfly Relationship?

Besides giving us adorable videos, butterflies benefit from this relationship through what's called mud-puddling or lachryphagy, which is a way of ingesting much-needed sodium from the turtles' tears. How poetic is that?

READ MORE: The Dead Man's Fingers Fungus Is as Grotesque as It Sounds

But it turns out turtles might also benefit! The butterflies may help keep the turtles' eyes free of debris, providing a sort of eye bath that allows them to better spot predators. Phew.

Does This Also Explain the Viral Puppy and Butterfly Video Too?

But wait, there's more. Have you seen the famous "Puppy Dog Playing With Butterfly" video? You can watch it below:

The video which was described by one Redditor as "the purest thing I've ever seen in my life" also came under mass scrutiny when it went viral, with most people suggesting it's CGI (this was before AI video was readily available).

Internet sleuth site Snopes took this on and it was ultimately decided that the original creator of the video had no CGI experience, and yes, it does seem this might be a scenario where the butterfly is flirting with puppy-teeth disaster in search of some much-needed sodium.