African giant swallowtail
The African giant swallowtail is the biggest butterfly in Africa. Its long, narrow wings are orange brown with black markings. It is also very poisonous, so hungry birds leave it alone.
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Fun facts
Its wings are 18 to 23 centimetres across, which makes it one of the biggest butterflies in the whole world.
The males are bigger than the females, and the two have differently shaped wings.
The females are shy and fly high above the treetops, so people rarely see them.
It may have no natural enemies at all, because it is so poisonous.
Nobody has ever described its egg, caterpillar or pupa. Its baby stages are still a mystery.
Most asked questions about African giant swallowtail
?How big is the African giant swallowtail?
Its wings measure 18 to 23 centimetres from tip to tip, as wide as a big dinner plate.
?Is the African giant swallowtail poisonous?
Yes, its body is very toxic, so animals that eat it get sick. It is safe to look at.
?Where does the African giant swallowtail live?
In the rainforests of West and Central Africa, for example in Cameroon, Congo, Ghana and Uganda.
For bug experts
- Scientific name
- Papilio antimachus
- Named by
- Drury
- Group
- Butterflies
- Family
- Papilionidae
- Classification
- Insecta > Lepidoptera > Papilionidae
- Lives on
- Africa
Where the facts come from
- Papilio antimachus (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0): what it looks like, where it lives, what it eats, sizes and fun facts, retold in simple words.
- Picture by Robert Nash, Curator of Entomology,Ulster Museum. CC BY-SA 2.5, Wikimedia Commons. The round sticker of this bug is cut from the same picture.
If we got something wrong, sorry, we are bug fans, not a science journal. Tell us at hello@bugwiki.app and we will fix it.
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