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Frequently
Asked Questions
Students Ask and Experts Answer
Contributed by Monarch Expert Dr. Karen Oberhauser

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By
Topic |
| Characteristics
>>
- size
- weight
- body
systems
- senses
- communication
- physiology
- other
physical characteristics
|
Life
Cycle >>
- longevity
- birth
and growth
- reproduction
and young
- heredity
- parenting
behavior
|
Ecology
>>
- habitat
and range
- niche
- food
- enemies
- adaptations
- migration
- populations
- distribution
- ecosystems
|
Conservation
>>
- human
impacts
- threats:habitat
loss,
- conservation
status
- historic
population size
- conservation
efforts, etc
|
Characteristics
- How
small is the monarch butterfly? >>
- How
much does a monarch butterfly weigh? >>
- How
do you tell the male monarch from the female? >>
- Why
do only male monarchs have a big black spot on their wings?
>>
- Why
do the females have thicker wing veins? >>
- Can
monarch butterflies fly in the rain? >>
- How
do Monarchs keep dry if it rains, and how do they dry their wings
and what happens to them if they get wet? >>
- Since
the wings are thin how come they don't wear out? >>
- About
how many scales can fall off before the monarch has to stop flying?
>>
- How
should we handle the wings? >>
- How
many times do their wings flap in a minute? >>
- Why
do they fly like they're dizzy (referring to erratic flight)? >>
- What
kind of tags are used on the butterflies, so as not to weigh them
down? >>
- Can
monarchs hear? >>
- How
do monarchs breathe? >>
- Do monarchs
breath in their chrysalis, and if they do, how do they? If they don't,
why don't they need air? >>
- Do monarch
butterflies have brains? >>
- How
do monarch butterflies excrete? >>
- Can
butterflies overheat if it gets too hot? >>
- At what
temperature is it too cold for monarchs to fly? >>
- Is it
true that monarchs can only see one color? >>
- Are
butterflies nocturnal or diurnal? >>
- Do monarchs
sleep or do they just rest? >>
- Where
do they go and what do they do at night? >>
- How
do their internal clocks work? >>
- Do monarch
butterflies communicate with each other? How? What kinds of things
would they communicate about? Is anyone studying their communication?
>>
Life
Cycle
- How
long do adult monarch butterflies live? >>
- How
many inches are the eggs of a monarch butterfly? >>
- How
many eggs the monarchs have in one time? >>
- What
is the most eggs a monarch butterfly has ever laid? >>
- Do the
butterflies die after they lay their eggs? >>
- How
do they know which plant is a milkweed? >>
- Can
a female monarch have babies without the help of the male? >>
- If the
female mates and is ready to lay her eggs and can't locate milkweed
plants, what does she do? Does she lay them on any plant she finds?
If that is so, what becomes of the caterpillars? >>
- How
long is a monarch caterpillar (larva)? >>
- Can
you tell the differance between a male and female monarch when they
are in the larval state? >>
- How
do the gold spots on the chrysalis form? >>
- When
the newly emerged adult monarch pumps fluid from the abdomen into
the wings, does the fluid remain a liquid in the veins or do the veins
of the wings become solid after awhile? >>
- How
does a Monarch Butterfly know how to fly right away when it hatches
out of its chrysalis? >>
- Is there
any difference between chrysalid and a chrysalis? >>
- How
is the gold formed in a chrysalis and why? >>
- What
happens to all of the butterflies who do not mate? Do they die sooner
or live longer? >>
- What
percentage of monarchs make it to the migratory stage? >>
- We understand
that the Monarch shuts down the reproductive cycle before migrating
to Mexico. How does this happen? >>
- What
starts up reproduction again in Mexico, before the butterfly migrates
in the spring? >>
- When
rearing monarchs, what do you recommend for a cage? >>
Ecology
Food
- What
do monarch butterflies eat? >>
- What
color is nectar? Is it always the same color for each flower or does
it change colors? >>
- How
do monarchs eat? >>
- Where
does the Monarch Butterfly fit in the food web is it is considered
poisonous by its predators due to the fact that it eats milkweed?
>>
- Do the
males look for food more than the females? >>
Monarch
Butterfly Enemies
- What
is the name of the poison in the monarch butterfly's body and how
potent is it? >>
- Are
there any that can and do regularly eat monarch butterflies or catepillars?
>>
- What
are some invertebrate predators of the monarch and why are they able
to eat the monarch since birds can't? >>
- If the
monarch butterfly is toxic to the two predator birds, what effect
does the toxins have on the mice predators? >>
- Approximately
how long does it take predators' bodies to eliminate/reduce the toxin
levels to a safe level or to where they can eat again? >>
- Approximately
how long does it take predators' bodies to eliminate/reduce the toxin
levels to a safe level or to where they can eat again? >>
- Do butterflies
in the north have a differnt chemical makeup because milkweed they
eat is different from the southern milkweed? >>
- What
is the most abundant kind of milkweed in the U.S. and in Mexico? >>
- Do bees
sting monarch pupae? >>
- Do you
have any concerns about rearing monarchs and diseases? >>
-
Where
is the best place to find a Monarch Butterfly in the summer?
>>
-
I
know that the monarchs spend the winter in the mountains of Mexico,
but why don't they live in the Rocky Mountains in the summer? >>
-
Do
Monarch Butterflies live only in North America? If so, Why? >>
-
Do
monarchs live in other parts of the world besides Mexico and the USA?
>>
-
Are
there different types of monarchs? >>
-
Are
there monarchs living on other continents? >>
-
In
Mexico, would monarch butterflies survive when there is snow on the
ground? >>
-
Why
do monarchs hang in trees? >>
-
How
many butterflies died in Mexico during the freeze and is this going
to effect their population and future survival? >>
-
Are
there any oyamel trees anywhere in the US? >>
-
What
tree are they most similar to that can be compared to an oyamel tree
in the US? >>
-
What
kind of trees do they overwinter in, when they are in California?
>>
Behavioral
Adaptations: Migration
-
What
tells the monarch butterfly to migrate? >>
-
How
are monarchs able to fly so far and know where to go? >>
-
How
long does it take a monarch to fly from Washington, DC to Angangueo,
Mexico? >>
-
Where
do they store fat on their journey to Mexico and back? >>
-
Why
do they take the same route to Mexico and back? >>
-
How
far do they fly in a day? >>
-
How
do they travel such far distances? >>
-
How
do monarchs know where to go? >>
-
When
the monarchs go to Mexico how do they know where they are going? >>
-
How
do they know their way back up north? >>
-
Why
do monarch butterflies migrate and not hibernate? >>
-
If
monarchs did hibernate, how much food would they have to eat in order
to survive the winter? >>
-
How
do the Monarch butterflies know that Arizona is a northerly direction?
>>
-
How
many Monarchs travel together at the same time and how do they travel
such far distances? >>
-
Why
didn't the Monarchs go to Arizona when they left Mexico rather than
going to Texas? >>
-
Why
didn't the Monarchs go to Arizona when they left Mexico rather than
going to Texas? >>
-
Do
monarchs get lost during migration? >>
-
Can
butterflies travel over the ocean, and could butterflies land on water?
>>
-
Do
monarchs have scent glands, and do they use scent markings to guide
their migration North? >>
-
How
far do monarchs travel in one generation? >>
Conservation
-
Which
do you think is the greatest threat to monarch survival, wintering
sites in Mexixo, breeding sites in Canada and the U.S. or something
else? >>
-
What
steps is the Mexican government taking to stop the destruction of
oyamel trees in Mexico? >>
-
Are
there laws protecting monarchs and their enviroments? >>
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