A Monarch butterfly caterpillar (Danaus plexippus) feeding on a milkweed (Asclepias sp.) leaf. Monarch butterflies lay their eggs primarily on milkweed plants. By eating the milkweed,the caterpillars sequester biologically active molecules,cardiac glycosides or cardenolides,which make them poisonous to vertebrates. The cardiac toxins continue in the pupa and the adult butterfly. Both the adult and the larva are aposematically coloured to warn predators away from eating them. Lawrence,Kansas | |
Licence : | Droits gérés |
Crédit: | Science Photo Library / Higfill, Ken M. |
Taille de l’image : | 2731 px × 4096 px |
Model Release : | Non requis |
Property Release : | Non requis |
Restrictions : |
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