Monarchs and viceroys both have poison in them that makes them taste bad, so by looking like each other, they gain extra mutual protection. (Predators learn one pattern and then avoid both butterflies.) The viceroy is often considered the mimic in the pair because monarchs look very similar to other related "milkweed butterflies" in their family, while the viceroy has evolved to look entirely different from its close relatives in order to better look like the monarch.
Copyright © 2026 eLLeNow.com All Rights Reserved.