Creature 322: Battus philenor

Battus philenor is sometimes called the pipevine caterpillar or swallowtail caterpillar.

The adult looks pretty cool, but take a look at the caterpillar.

As caterpillars they feed on the toxic plants Aristolochia and the poison accumulates in their body providing them with a chemical defence.

Distribution:
Battus philenor is known from North and Central America.

Classification:
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Papilionidae
Genus: Battus
Species: Battus philenor

Image Links:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battus_philenor

http://fireflyforest.net/firefly/2005/07/21/pipevine-swallowtail-caterpillar/