CBSE ENGLISH LANGUAGE & LITERATURE

Detailed explanation-1: -The Viceroy butterfly mimics the monarch butterfly to prevent being preyed upon by predators.

Detailed explanation-2: -Viceroy butterflies copied monarchs because monarchs do not taste good to birds. Viceroy butterflies on the other hand taste good to birds. So, the more they look similar to monarchs, the less likely they are to become a bird’s prey.

Detailed explanation-3: -For instance, ordinary birds prefer to eat viceroy. Meanwhile, starling prefers to eat monarch butterflies.

Detailed explanation-4: -The theory was that viceroys look like monarchs because monarchs don’t taste good to birds. Viceroys, on the other hand, do taste good to birds. So the more they look like monarchs, the less likely they are to become a bird’s dinner.

Detailed explanation-5: -It is an example of Warning type protective mimicry. Viceroy butterfly mimics the unpalatable and toxic species of monarch butterfly to avoid predation. This type of mimicry is also called Batesian mimicry.