Would you raise the baby that ate your siblings? - Francesca Barbero

Explore how the offspring of parasitic butterflies trick their way into ant colonies for food and protection.
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You might not guess it, but Alcon blue butterflies are just one of over 200 parasitic butterfly species, all of which target ants. And their offspring live highly unusual lives, tricking their way into ant colonies using mimicry. So, how do these butterflies do it- and why? Francesa Barbero explores the strategies caterpillars use to survive among ants on their journey to become butterflies.
Lesson by Francesca Barbero, directed by Raghav Arumugam, Jagriti Khirwar.
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View full lesson: ed.ted.com/lessons/would-you-...
Dig deeper with additional resources: ed.ted.com/lessons/would-you-...
Animator's website: www.raghavarumugam.com & www.jagritikhirwar.com
Music: www.campstudio.co
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Thank you so much to our patrons for your support! Without you this video would not be possible! OnlineBookClub.org, Eric Shear, Leith Salem, Omar Hicham, Adrian Rotaru, Brad Sullivan, Karen Ho, Niklas Frimberger, Hunter Manhart, Nathan Nguyen, Igor Stavchanskiy, James R DeVries, Grace Huo, Diana Huang, Chau Hong Diem, Orlellys Torre, Corheu, Thomas Mee, Maryann H McCrory, Blas Borde, John Hellmann, Poompak Meephian, Chuck Wofford, Adam Pagan, Wes Winn, Conder Shou, ntiger, Noname, Hansan Hu, David D, Mac Hyney, Keith Ellison, robin valero walters, Lynne Truesdale, Gatsby Dkdc, Matthew Neal, Denis Chon, Julian Oberhofer, Monte Carroll, Eddy, Jay M, Constantino Victor Delgado, Andrea Galvagni, Andrew Tweddle, Laurel-Ann Rice, Fernando A. Endo, Helen Lee, pam morgan, sarim haq and Gerardo Castro.

[@nicholasweaver2374]

And the award for weirdest KZbin title goes to TedED!

[@amirhamza4044]

No doubt

[@pritysujatalakra2320]

*awkward clapping*

[@PartyofZero]

😅

[@user-bh7vg8gd4q]

There are titles that are weirder

[@r_and_a433]

Ha uh yeah good job

[@sreelakshmimurthy2914]

Reminds me of "would you raise the bird that killed your children"!

[@lazyboi4824]

It was 2 years ago, time really goes by fast

[@KateeAngel]

I would. Birds are a superior life form

[@bunk95]

Humans dont willingly do. Did you learn about making and keeping human slaves (that are marketed as citizens)?

[@bunk95]

Humans don’t willingly make and keep human slaves.

[@dareolumide8287]

I knew the title sounded familiar

[@kinesy1878]

I don't know why that title sounds so wrong

[@amansinghrollno-7167]

Ikr😭

[@Sunflowersarepretty]

It does

[@yourowndealer]

Even the Thumbnail looks wrong 💀

[@ElboxD]

You really dont know?

[@gabrielsantosbastos5257]

Cannibalism

[@ThatOneGuy-gd8jm]

I love how the narrator talks about horrible parasitism in a calm and wholesome sounding way.

[@AkilaAriyathilaka]

I will never look at the butterflies the same way again, thanks TED ed! 😂

[@bhaskar2ndacc230]

Same😂

[@Brythnoth_of_the_Void]

The crazy thing is; I learned about these things like a week or 2 ago, because a book I was reading had the main character help a psychic ant colony by finding a blue butterfly imposter

[@Brythnoth_of_the_Void]

To clarify, I am agreeing with your comment, and I find all this fascinating; I just express this through anecdotes; and it’s kinda funny learning about something a few weeks before you find something doing a deeper dive.

[@tamannamanger5399]

Which book?​@@Brythnoth_of_the_Void

[@fedan2012]

Fun fact: some species of butterflies purposefully make the eyes of large mammals irritated, releasing so the butterflies can drink them.

[@danielvillalba5375]

One parasitic butterfly went extinct. Ants: Hoorayyy!!! Before being reintroduced a few years latter. Ants: Damn you humanity.

[@theplaymaker4392]

That's exactly what I was just thinking 😂

[@christophersamson621]

How does scientists reintroduce a specie that was one extinct? Got me wondering. Thank you😊

[@DevoteeOfAergia]

​@@christophersamson621They went extinct in the UK. So they were probably existing in other regions nearby and some of them were brought over to the UK. This is what is usually meant by reintroducing a specie.

[@chrism2516]

@@christophersamson621 It could be "extinct in the wild" but still alive in labs and in containment units

[@Tokuijin]

​@@chrism2516 , the alcon blue was extripated in the UK is what they mean.

[@a_weird_mess3]

When I read the title, I did _not_ expect ants and caterpillars. Anyway, quite an informative and interesting video with awesome creative animation like always :)

[@SirsasthNigam.]

me too

[@DarrienGlasser]

I was thinking we were going to get some Greek history or something

[@Caterpillartears]

I was expecting birds tbh

[@eldritchomen]

​@@Caterpillartears same here

[@brodyhutchens9819]

What were you expecting?

[@tenow]

I'm just happy there is no animation of what wasps and then their larvae do to caterpillar.

[@TEDEd]

What if we told you... there is: bit.ly/TEDEdWasps

[@leebulger7112]

​@@TEDEdPlease don't!!😂.

[@Smeck-gq1rj]

@@leebulger7112 They just did.

[@leebulger7112]

@@Smeck-gq1rj I know they already did that video and I thought it would be hilarious if I said that.

[@Friendship1nmillion]

​@@TEDEdThis video reminds me of the kids movie A bugs life , and I'm getting the feeling that this would make a great inspiration for a movie of that genre . Horrific and a shame about the butterfly 🦋 as a larvae , what it does to the ant colony . ♑️✍️🇳🇴🇦🇺

[@twishar9717]

How does ted ed get such perfect quotes every time

[@grimtygranule5125]

The ant queen: I have a problem in my home. Parasitoid wasp: And you're not gonna like my solution.

[@leo785587]

Me as an ant: “Is anyone going to say something about this butterfly coming out of our nursery?”

[@michalpicker6934]

This story sounds really crazy...but I had no idea caterpillars like those would do such a thing!

[@linpoetry8332]

Watch the BBC Planet. It has an actual footage of this bizarre Butterfly in an ant colony

[@kiranyadav3623]

The title is weird at first but accurate one..the queen lays eggs in batches, the earlier batch become workers after some time and then they tend for the later ones..because they came from the same mother,the queen ant, hence siblings.

[@theplaymaker4392]

Everyone talking smack about the title, lets not forget this video is actually so awesome. Animation and narration were perfect, content was delivered very well and made lots of sense. One of the better teded videos ive watched personally, keep it up teded yall are amazing!!

[@nishtha392]

The animation is too cute One clever caterpillar😼

[@circuloviciosamente]

Remember this when admiring the butterflies in your backyard.

[@DBT1007]

Not all butterflies are like this. Also, butterfly is not a beauty, cute insects 😅. Jumping spiders are the true cute insect.

[@thepsychedelicpineapple1171]

⁠@@DBT1007 jumping spider are the true cute insects, ….wow.

[@Walter_black2209]

Came for the title, stayed for the documentary

[@ZeoViolet]

Ah yes...the good 'ol, "Fake it till you make it" strategy. XD

[@sketchyskies8531]

In a parallel universe: "Would you eat the baby that raised your siblings?" So butterflies are terrifying now-

[@poenpotzu2865]

Always have been

[@hwizell7478]

Dragon flies can’t have ALL the scary

[@bawesome4527]

I think you guys should do a video about the various defense mechanism that defend against parasitism. Surely some must exist?

[@mr.jitterspam9552]

The baby in the thumbnail is straight up Darwin from tawog

[@skywalker63855]

this could be a short Pixar movie, well done! 🎉

[@Coconutsandbananas]

One of the most whiplash inducing Ted Ed videos ever and I absolutely love it and as always the animation is a perfect match

[@relax_chiguire]

4:54 „The astonishing adaptations they inspire“. TED slipped some of its hidden morals to the public.

[@yushawn7388]

1:40 So cute to have K.545 for background music!!

[@cheaterxl243]

I actually expected a moral discussion but this video is more calming to think about.

[@VisualVoyages08]

Ted Ed always nails it with perfect quotes, and this seemingly crazy story about ants and caterpillars was unexpectedly fascinating! The informative yet creatively animated video kept me hooked from start to finish. Kudos to Ted Ed for consistently delivering such engaging and enlightening content!

[@MrsJudithWright]

Wow, action-packed lesson, also hilariously done. Thank you TED Ed.

[@gretaweiss6802]

The animation is awesome! I love the style and colors!!

[@akaros96]

We want more videos like these ! We need to learn more about nature. Maybe a series about insects / animals etc.

[@KAI_420]

This is just spot the imposter 😂

[@moblinmajorgeneral]

I was sort of expecting this video to be about Sand Tiger sharks, but this was way more interesting

[@callmehriya7925]

Ted-ed is wild for this

[@Sunflowersarepretty]

These caterpillars be living the sweet life pretending to be someone else. There's a bird that does the same lays its eggs in other birds nests and those innocent unsuspecting birds raise its chick at times caring more about those chicks than their own. (I forgot their names tho 😭 I'm)

[@TEDEd]

Never fear, we can refresh your memory on who those crafty little birds are: bit.ly/TEDEdBird

[@y0url0calb1n]

Cuckoo

[@chingizzhylkybayev8575]

It's a cuckoo

[@Aaa-vp6ug]

Cockatoo, should be called a Changeling Bird

[@christinea.a.a]

This is so terrifying

[@animationtv426]

This is the wildest Ted Ed I've seen

[@felineboy1586]

Yet another master piece bravo

[@lauraanne341]

Well that was a wild and informative ride!

[@mikemesich2572]

A great interview!

[@Illustratedinformationcenter]

Ted Ed always crafts thought-provoking content with quotes that linger in the mind. Like the profound question, 'Would you raise the bird that killed your children?'-a powerful metaphor for facing challenges. This butterfly revelation adds a fascinating twist to nature's wonders.

[@Ragna_Boy]

What the F!! The BIG GULP made me jump in shock. You got me. Hahahab

[@user-ck2ht6uv1l]

I remember seeing a documentary about this, it was quite good

[@user-qj8eb3yv3v]

"Which parasite is the most shockingly sophisticated?" Probably Bong Joon-ho's

[@GOOD_FARMER]

That's the one of the cutest animations you made 😻

[@-JA-]

🤔 The title needs a little more clarification, but I guess it depends on the siblings and the reasons behind the action.

[@thelemurofmadagascar9183]

Lmao you're taking it way too seriously. The title is just meant to be a hook to get people to click the video.

[@-JA-]

@@thelemurofmadagascar9183 I apologise. It was not my intentions for it to come off so seriously. I merely wanted to create a comment vague enough to cover most of the potential interpretations of the title... I should really just stick with emojis. 🙇‍♂️

[@thelemurofmadagascar9183]

@@-JA- What do emojis have to do with this? And why are you apologizing? I'm just going to assume you're trolling, in which case, good job lol.

[@EccentricGentelman]

We reintroduced a butterfly that feeds of ants? I don't think the ants would have appreciated that. When you think about it, conservation doesn't always seem to love animals. How do you think deer and gazelles feel about saving tigers?

[@justwaiting5744]

This is so fascinating! I wonder how many years it took scientists to learn all of that.

[@Richard_Nixon-mr6rq]

Sweet mercy, the thumbnail, and title

[@stars_of_destiny]

The title is wild bro 💀💀

[@rami0036]

It remainds me of that one gumball episode were they rise the muddy monster thing lol

[@sayanchakraborty2619]

Wow...didnt knew butterflies can be parasitic. I only knew about cuckoos 😅

[@imperiallarch7610]

Very cool! Would love to see photos of the animals in the video. I can look them up but it would be convenient to see them as they're introduced.

[@JazmineHarris]

Long live Antonia 😭🙏🏾 RIP

[@sashankp3250]

Amazing animation as always😍😍

[@KINGBADASS100]

This video has such cute animation for such gruesome subject matter

[@Creepy_Pastaa]

I feel bad for those Poor Manipulated Ants, They even Sacrifice there own kids for someone else's. Those visuals representation are pretty good Ted-ed TeM👍🏻

[@psychologybooks]

This is mind blowing information.

[@mulaffarabdullah2900]

Let's be real, if you go around squishing butterflies, you're basically the supervillain.......

[@manavsaboo9610]

While the video was loading and an ad was playing, I cant tell you how confused I was. I was speculating what the video was about. A moral dilemma? A tricky puzzle? A mythical story? It turns out it was about a butterfly 💀

[@static_kaen]

1:52 I was not expecting that

[@2hot1]

lmaoooo i was shocked too😭😭😭😭

[@Austin_Playz27]

its almost 5 am and i just died there

[@sutejasastra]

those flying insects life schedule were crazy!

[@user-bp4nv3qp4d]

Ted ed animation is very marvelous

[@adalhuertacarrillo293]

Noooooo!!! Antonia se murió!!! 😂😂

[@ellie-snow]

Wait these butterflies only live as a butterfly for a week?!?

[@Thecutecyanbird]

How cute caterpillar is so fun! 😊

[@Stratelier]

3:29 be like: "Wait, please tell me one of us is a REAL ant larva?"

[@crummmycheese]

TedEd has the best documentaries..❤❤❤❤

[@Zero_Chaos]

Reading the title: "Is this birds or Gods?" Seconds later "Oh, butterflies"

[@mar_ajo9686]

Why the word "parasite" being represented by that cutest tiny thing 😆

[@quarteracreadventures855]

Fascinating!

[@starcherry6814]

I’ll never understand why animals do the things they do But that’s life 🤷‍♀️

[@circuloviciosamente]

Because it works.

[@Shivrajchopra]

Everyone was expecting a horror story 😂 that's how people are getting attuned to zombie psychomotor 😎🙅

[@steveyi2859]

Yes

[@rom-ps2uo]

„He could be any one of us” He could be me, it could be you”

[@roelienchik6887]

Aunt Antalena: NOOO why must you do this * dies *! Jimmy the larvea: TIS MY DESTINY MMMWWWAAAAAH HHAAAA HHAAA * kills Antalena *!!!!!!

[@_Justme_227]

the title is crazy

[@dira.v]

This is quite clever , nature is amazing

[@temporaladvisor3958]

Wow. Beautiful, carefree butterflies, that we adore, are actually ruthless predators. So much for judging a book by its cover.

[@Not614C]

Yes, I can relate to that

[@quickSilverXMen]

Wow! I never heard of this!

[@ToyShorty]

It reminds me of the movie 'Orphan.' 😮 I know, that movie was based on a true story as well.

[@asherjobin9939]

Ants parasisiting on ants Wasp:i am going to ends its whole career

[@faharlida8643]

This would make a great studio ghibli movie

[@sierra-q]

The title😂

[@kathrinasuarez1078]

I got jumpscared by the title bro💀

[@marvinochieng6295]

beautiful content

[@vvv-hm8fd]

Wow i will never see them the same again

[@docilelikewintercatfish9897]

Among Us in nature

[@elaineh3]

The animation is so cute 😊

[@user-eq2dx2jp6v]

Thank youuuuuu ❤❤❤❤🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉

[@Wiptur-Willias]

4:09

[@Wiptur-Willias]

2:42

[@Wiptur-Willias]

3:06

[@AutoDisheep]

I am having fun with these animations

[@ScaredLight]

There are so many types of parasites that prey upon ants, parasitic wasp being the number one threat they face. It is not a pretty sight to behold, so kudos to Ted Ed for making this cute... ish.

[@user-by6yf5yw1h]

Eventhough,the truth is the tragedy, the nature all around us is still breathtaking

[@LegoCookieDoggie]

In the insect world brood parasites are so common and it makes sense insect success is based off of putting as many offspring as possible out what if you lose a couple uh hundred

[@rosehead69]

This video is giving Deeplook vibe like " Mom where do baby jellyfish come from" 😂

[@KARLTEGREIN]

I think I have seen a cartoon of this but can't seem to remember which one

[@azzakandil1482]

Amazing