Question

Monarch butterflies have brightly colored orange wings with black patterns on them, making them easily visible to birds that eat butterflies and moths, yet birds rarely eat the monarchs. Likewise, the monarch caterpillars are brightly striped yellow and white and black, and they also are rarely eaten by birds, although some wasps will attack them and feed them to their young. What can be inferred from these observations?

Answer 1

a. Monarchs have a way of discouraging bird predation that does not involve hiding.
b. Monarchs lay more eggs than other less conspicuous butterflies.
c. Monarchs must threaten and attack birds, but not wasps.
d. Monarchs' wings are so colorful that most birds must find them difficult to eat.

Answer 2

I think the answer is A. The monarchs are actually poisonous to birds and taste really bad. So the birds associate the bright colored wings with bad taste and stomach cramps they get when they eat a monarch butterfly and avoid them in the future.

Answer 3

are u sure?

Answer 4

I am quite sure.

The monarchs don't make the toxins themselves. The toxins are found in milkweed plants on which the monarch butterflies feed. I think the poisonous chemicals are cardenolide aglycones which affect electric impulses in cardiac cells.

Why do you think it might not be?