Zebra Longwing: a two-minute wildlife lesson

Butterflies of the Americas · day 7 of 7

Five facts

1. Its bold black-and-white stripes are not just for show. They are a warning sign that tells predators to stay away.
2. Each night, up to 60 zebra longwings sleep together, coming back to the same roost. The group keeps warm and puts off predators.
3. Adults eat pollen as well as nectar. Pollen gives them the building blocks to make chemicals that turn their bodies toxic.
4. Passionflower leaves are armed with tiny hooked hairs. The caterpillars bite off the tips or lay silk mats over them to walk on.
5. Zebra longwings from Mexico fly north into Texas. The farther they travel, the shorter they stay.

The quiz

1. What do the zebra longwing's stripes tell predators?

• Come closer
• Stay away (correct)
• Food is nearby
• It is sleeping

The bold striped pattern is a warning to predators.

2. How many zebra longwings can share a roost at night?

• Up to 60 (correct)
• Never more than 2
• About 10,000
• Always exactly 1

Groups of up to 60 return to the same roost each night.

3. What does eating pollen help zebra longwings do?

• Change colour
• Fly in the dark
• Grow longer wings
• Make chemicals that make them toxic (correct)

Pollen lets them make chemicals that make their bodies toxic to predators.

4. How do caterpillars deal with the hooked hairs on passionflower leaves?

• They only eat the flowers
• They wait for the hairs to fall off
• They bite off the tips or cover them with silk (correct)
• They dig under the leaves

They bite the hair tips off and lay silk mats to walk on.

5. For zebra longwings flying from Mexico to Texas, what happens when the trip is longer?

• They stay longer
• They stay a shorter time (correct)
• They never arrive
• They turn white

The longer the distance travelled, the shorter the stay.

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