Wednesday, November 18, 2015

Monarch Butterfly

Danaus plexippus




I found this on http://animaldiversity.org
Domain-  Eukarya

Kingdom- Animalia

Phylum- Arthropoda

Class- Insecta

Order- Lepidoptera

Family- Nymphalidae

Genus- Danaus

Species-Plexippus

Habitat- Is an open country species that have a range of breeding habitats.

It has bilateral symmetry, it is heterotrophic, and is endothermic. It's generally bright orange with black borders and veins and males have swollen pouches on either side of their wings. Monarch butterflies use their wings to ward off predators. They also use their poison to poison vertebrates. Like birds, they follow a pattern of seasonal migration. A known fact about monarch butterflies is that their wings seem to look like the eyes of a larger animal to predators which scares them away.  The larva of the monarch butterfly feed on a wide range of milkweeds and the adults of the species forage for flower nectar. The predators of the monarch butterfly are spiders, birds, and wasps.



No comments:

Post a Comment