Monarch butterfly, Danaus plexippus, caterpillar on a milkweed, Asclepias sp., leaf
Monarch butterflies lay their eggs primarily on milkweed plants, genus Asclepias. By eating the milkweed the caterpillars sequester biologically active cardiac glycosides or cardenolides, which make them poisonous to vertebrates. The cardiac toxins continue in the pupa and then the adult butterfly. Both the adult and the larva are aposematically colored to warn predators from eating them.
Size: 5266px × 3525px
Photo credit: © Martin Shields / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: adaptation, aposematic, asclepias, butterfly, caterpillar, coloration, colorful, colourful, danaus, defense, evolutionary, insect, larva, leaf, lepidoptera, milkweed, monarch, plexippus, prey
