Swallowtail Caterpillar #2
by Perennou Nuridsany
Title
Swallowtail Caterpillar #2
Artist
Perennou Nuridsany
Medium
Photograph - Photograph
Description
Swallowtail caterpillar (Papilio machaon) attached to the stalk of an umbelliferae flower. This larva of the Swallowtail butterfly is brightly colored white, orange, and black. These are warning colors which make the caterpillar deliberately conspicuous to its predators. Warning (aposematic) coloration indicates that the animal has built in defenses such as a stinger, poisonous flesh, or a capacity to strike back in some way. Papilio machaon has extremely distasteful qualities. An inexperienced hungry predator that tries to eat this moth will experience a very unpleasant taste. Thus, it may be deterred in the future by those same bright colors.
Uploaded
June 26th, 2018
Embed
Share
Comments
There are no comments for Swallowtail Caterpillar #2. Click here to post the first comment.