Plain Tiger (Danaus chrysippus) ================================ Also known as African Monarch, is a common butterfly which is widespread in Asia and Africa. The Danaus chrysippus is a medium-sized butterfly with a wingspan of about 7–8 centimetres. The body is black with many white spots. The wings are tawny, the upper side brighter and richer than the underside. The apical half of the forewing is black with a white band. The hindwing has three black spots around the center. The hindwing has a thin border of black enclosing a series of semicircular white spots. Ecology ================================ It is found in many habitats including desert (pending availability of food) and right up into the mountains at altitudes up to 9,000 feet (2,700 m). This butterfly is perhaps the commonest of Indian butterflies and is a familiar sight on the subcontinent. It flies from dawn to dusk, frequenting gardens, sipping from flowers and, late in the day, fluttering low over bushes to find a resting place for the night. Defense against predators ================================ The Plain Tiger is protected from attacks due to the unpalatable alkaloids ingested during the larval stages. The butterfly therefore flies slowly and leisurely, generally close to the ground and in a straight line. This gives a would-be predator ample time to recognise and avoid attacking it. Inexperienced predators will try attacking it, but will learn soon enough to avoid this butterfly as the alkaloids in its body cause vomiting. The butterfly also has a tough, leathery skin to survive such occasional attacks. When attacked it fakes death and oozes nauseating liquid which makes it smell and taste terrible. This encourages the predator to release the butterfly quickly. The Plain Tiger thus has the ability to recover miraculously from predator attacks that would kill most other butterflies. =============================== For more clicks plz follow the link: facebook/rkdphotography EXIF DATA Camera: Nikon D5100 Lens: Nikkor 55-300mm Aperture: f/5.6 Shutter speed: 1/640 ISO: 250 Focal length: 300mm Location: Bangalore
Posted on: Sun, 16 Mar 2014 07:47:05 +0000
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