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Monarch Butterfly

A Monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus) expels metabolic called meconium, waste built up while inside the chrysalis (through its anal opening) after emerging from its chrysalis in a garden in Christchurch, New Zealand, on 09 February 2023. Crumpled wings are a sign that the butterfly is infected with ophryocystis elektroscirrha, or OE. OE is a debilitating parasite that was first found to infect monarch populations in the 1960s. Monarchs affected by OE may not be able to emerge from chrysalis or may emerge with damaged wings, so they are unable to fly. These deformed butterflies won't live long and cannot be saved. In 2022, the monarch butterfly was declared endangered by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN). (Photo by Sanka Vidanagama/NurPhoto)

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