Rae – Captivating Critters

The whale shark is the largest fish in the ocean. In fact, they’re typically ranked within the top ten largest organisms in the ocean. The whale shark can grow anywhere from 18 to 61feet. While this creature might seem intimidating, whale sharks are actually filter feeders. This means that they mainly eat microscopic plants and animals like plankton. To gather food, they open their mouths and swim along, capturing other organisms and dispelling the water through their gills. Only two other sharks, the basking shark and megamouth shark, eat this way.

Whale sharks prefer to live in tropical waters. They can live anywhere from 80 to 130 years. They are rather docile creatures and pose no threat to humans.

In Madagascar, whale sharks are called marokintana, which means “many stars”.

Spicebush Swallowtails

Spicebush swallowtail butterflies belong to the family Papilionidae, which include the largest butterflies in the world. They mainly live in woody and swampy areas throughout eastern North America. They eat from plants like honeysuckle and Joe-Pye weeds. Unlike other butterflies, this species flaps their wings while eating. Adult male spicebush swallowtails have blue-green hind wing areas while adult female spicebush swallowtails have blue hind wing areas.

The larvae of this butterfly uses mimicry in a variety of ways. As a young larvae, they’re brown to resemble bird droppings. As they grow, they turn green and begin to mimic a snake as a defense mechanism. Not only do the large black spots on their coats look like eyes, but their osmeteria, a defense organ, can extend to look like a snake’s tongue.

The spicebush swallowtail butterfly is threatened due to the decline of their host plant, the spicebush.

Hall, Donald W, and Jerry F Butler. “Spicebush Swallowtail.” Spicebush Swallowtail – Papilio Troilus Linnaeus, University of Florida, Sept. 2015, entnemdept.ufl.edu/creatures/bfly/spicebush_swallowtail.htm.