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Can monarch larvae be produced in Mexico? If so, what happens to them?
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Monarchs do not mate or lay eggs in the overwintering sites in Mexico, so you would not see larvae. Monarchs that migrate are in reproductive diapause, which means their reproductive organs are not fully developed and they do not mate. Diapause is beneficial because it takes energy to mate and lay eggs; energy that is better used to make the journey to Mexico. Diapause is also the reason migrating monarchs are able to live for six months. Monarchs that mate and lay eggs live for a month or two.
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How high can a monarch butterfly fly?
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Monarchs don't need to fly as high as birds do, so most of the time they don't fly much higher than a tall tree. Their nectar sources are only a few feet off the ground, and the same is true for the milkweed they lay their eggs on. Monarch wings aren't as powerful as a bird's wings, so it takes more energy for monarchs to reach higher altitudes.
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What color is the Monarch butterfly's blood? I heard that the Monarch butterfly is really fragile.
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The monarch caterpillar's blood is bright green. The correct term for a caterpillar's blood is hemolymph.
Monarch butterflies should be handled carefully, but there are many other butterfly species that are even more fragile. Monarchs have to be strong enough to migrate all the way to Mexico. They can withstand harsher conditions than most other kinds of butterflies.
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Because of the wide spread use of pesticides do you think that Monarch butterfly could be mutated?
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Pesticide use can negatively affect monarch health or even kill them, if the concentrations are high enough. It is possible that pesticide use could lead to some kind of mutation, but I have not seen any direct evidence supporting this. Unless the mutation was noticeable (like monarchs missing a wing, for example) and widespread in a given area, it would be difficult for scientists to study. There are many explanations for one monarch with a missing wing (it didn't develop properly, it lost the wing to a predator or while mating are a few possible explanations) so it would be tough to say it was due to pesticide use.
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Do any of the Monarchs you work with become pets?
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No, we don't keep any of the monarchs in our lab as pets. They're used for research purposes, so we don't view them as pets. They wouldn't make very good pets anyway, since they only live for a few months.
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