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Zoom Butterflies ALL ABOUT BUTTERFLIES! |
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| What is a Butterfly? | Butterfly or Moth? | Senses | Defense Mechanisms | Extremes: Biggest, Smallest, ... | Butterfly Gardens |
Poison Some caterpillars are poisonous to predators. These caterpillars get their toxicity from the plants they eat. Generally, the brightly colored larva are poisonous; their color is a reminder to predators about their toxicity. Some poisonous caterpillars include the Monarch and the Pipevine Swallowtail. The Tiger Swallowtail caterpillar has large eyespots. |
Bad smells Some caterpillars can emit very bad smells to ward off predators. They have an osmeterium, an orange, y-shaped gland on their neck which gives off a strong, unpleasant odor when the caterpillar is threatened. This keeps away dangerous wasps and flies that try to lay eggs in the caterpillar; these eggs would eventually kill the caterpillar as they hatch inside its body and eat its tissues. Many swallowtails have an osmeterium, including the Zebra Swallowtail. The Goliath Birdwing is a poisonous butterfly from Indonesia. Its bright colors remind any experienced predators (those who ate one in the past and became sick) that it tastes very bad. |
Some poisonous butterflies include the Monarch (which eats the milkweed plant to become poisonous), the Small Postman butterfly, and the Pipevine swallowtail. Click to read our Privacy Policy
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