Stats

Lifespan

A few weeks

Size

Large

Diet

Herbivore

Activity

Diurnal

Social

Solitary

Biome

Temperate forest

Range

East Asia

Movement

Flight

Breeding

Egg-laying

Defense

Warning colors

Status

Uncommon

About

This yellow butterfly lives in gardens and forests across East Asia. Its caterpillars eject a foul-smelling, orange Y-shaped organ from their heads to deter predators.

Life cycle

1. 1.
   egg

   A tiny ribbed egg laid on the underside of a host-plant leaf, hatching within days.
2. 2.
   caterpillar

   A voracious caterpillar feeds and molts through several instars, growing rapidly.
3. 3.
   chrysalis

   A chrysalis hangs sealed and still while the body remodels into a winged adult.
4. 4.
   butterfly

   A winged adult with full scales and coloration, ready to fly and mate.

Learn more

• View on iNaturalist →

Taxonomy

Kingdom

Animalia

Phylum

Arthropoda

Class

Insecta

Order

Lepidoptera

Family

Papilionidae

Genus

Papilio

Species

Papilio xuthus