Monarch Butterfly Facts
The Monarch butterfly is the most widely recognized of all American butterfly species. It has the most distinctive wings with black, orange and yellow colour. These bright colours of its wings give a warning to predator that it is foul tasting and toxic. These butterflies can be easily found in North America, South America, Australia, Hawaii, New Zealand and parts of Europe.
Quick Facts: –
- Wingspan of a Monarch butterfly can range from 3.7 to 4.1 inches.
- An average Monarch butterfly can weigh up to 0.75 gm.
- In its larval stage, a monarch butterfly is completely dependent on milkweed.
- They are one of the few insects that are capable of making trans-Atlantic crossings.
- A monarch butterfly can flap its wings more than 120 times in a minute when it is trying to escape a predator.
- The flight speed of a Monarch butterfly can range in between 4-12 miles per hour.
- The highest monarch butterfly ever recorded was at a height of 11,000 feet by a glider pilot.
- They can travel up to 8,000 km per year.
- A male monarch butterfly can be distinguished from female because it has black coloured scent glands on each hind wing.
- It is one of the longest migrating creatures on the earth.
- Monarchs use ‘thermals’ that allow them to glide as they migrate.
- A monarch caterpillar will gain about 3,000 times its original weight.
- Monarch butterflies use their antennas to smell something.
- They have compound eyes that help them to locate flowers then their antennas help them to smell the nectar. They taste the nectar with their feet.
- Those special taste receptors located on their feet are known as tarsi. They are used to taste sweet liquid.
