Zebra Longwing , the state butterfly of Florida, is a neotropical butterfly native to Mexico, Central America, Florida, and some parts of Texas. It has long black wings with bold and narrow yellow stripe and a wingspan of 72 to 100 mm.
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The first rare butterfly we are starting with is the kaiser-i-hind butterfly, also known as the Emperor of India. It is a rare species of swallowtail butterfly native to the Eastern Himalayas- Assam, Meghalaya, Manipur, West Bengal, and Sikkim.
Queen Alexandra’s Birdwing is next on our list of rare butterfly species. Albert S. Meek discovered this species in Papua New Guinea in 1906. He was a naturalist to Walter Rothschild, who named the butterfly after the wife of Edward VII, Queen Alexandra of Denmark.
Zebra Longwing , the state butterfly of Florida, is a neotropical butterfly native to Mexico, Central America, Florida, and some parts of Texas. It has long black wings with bold and narrow yellow stripe and a wingspan of 72 to 100 mm.
Next on our list of rare butterflies is Lange’s metalmark butterfly. Its flight period starts in early August and goes up until mid or late September. Lange’s metalmark is a small butterfly with a wing length of about 25 mm. Its wing colors are orange and brown, with white spots, while its hindwings are gray-brown.
Bhutan Glory is an endangered butterfly native to the eastern Himalayas (north-eastern India and Bhutan) and the Hengduan Mountains (south-western China and Myanmar). There are four subspecies of Bhutan glory: Ludlow’s Bhutan Glory, Mansfield’s Bhutan Glory, and Chinese Bhutan Glory.
Next on our list of rare butterflies is the Luzon peacock swallowtail. This beautiful long-tailed butterfly is native to Luzon, northern Philippines, and has green-black, red, and purple colors.
Leona’s little blue butterfly is one of the rarest butterflies in the world. It is a small butterfly with a 0.75-inch wing width. Leona’s Little Blue is native to Klamath County, Oregon, United States, and is the only butterfly endemic to Oregon. You can only find it in a specific area in Oregon: six square miles of ash-pumice habitat southeast of Crater Lake.
Blue Morpho butterfly is next on our list of rare butterflies worldwide. It is one of the largest butterflies in nature. It is native to the rainforests of Central America, Mexico, and South America. The blue morpho is a beauty with iridescent blue wings and black borders. The underside of their wings is dull brown with black eyespots.
The Palos Verdes blue butterfly is a subspecies of silvery blue butterfly. It is one of the rarest butterflies native to the Palos Verdes Peninsula in Los Angeles County, California. The IUCN listed it as endangered in 1980 because of habitat destruction, climate change, and non-native plant invasion.
Miami Blue is a rare butterfly native to Florida, particularly the Key West and Great White Heron National Wildlife Refuges in the Florida Keys. It is one of the most endangered butterflies in the United States.
The island marble butterfly is next on our list of rare butterflies. It is native to the San Juan Islands, Washington State. The species' preferred habitats are open grasslands, native prairie, fields, pastures, gravel pits, lagoon margins, marine beaches, and dunes.
Schaus’ swallowtail is among the rarest butterflies in the United States and South Florida. The critically endangered species started going extinct in 1924 because of habitat loss, insecticide use, over-collection, and housing development. A few hundred existed in 1972 until a local mosquito control district sprayed insecticides, Dibrom and Baytex.
Ruddy Daggeerwing is a rare butterfly native to Florida, Mexico, the West Indies, Central America, and South America. Its upper wings are bright orange with black outlines, while the underside is brown and black.
Zebra Longwing , the state butterfly of Florida, is a neotropical butterfly native to Mexico, Central America, Florida, and some parts of Texas. It has long black wings with bold and narrow yellow stripe and a wingspan of 72 to 100 mm.
Zebra mussels, originating from Eurasia's fresh waters, have distinctive striped patterns on their shells. Despite their small size, they're known for their significant impact on the habitats they colonize.
Primarily filter feeders, their razor-sharp shells often necessitate protective footwear in the waters they inhabit. Since their invasion of the Great Lakes, these mussels have become a prominent issue, fastening to various submerged surfaces, including boats, docks, and even other mussels.
Hydroelectric companies and municipal water suppliers grappling with blockages from dense populations have found some relief using cupronickel alloy coatings, which zebra mussels struggle to attach.
While they've contributed to the near-extinction of several Great Lakes species, these mussels are effective indicators of environmental pollution, specifically to contaminants representative of water pollution.
The Zebra Moray Eel has a body pattern of alternating black and white stripes. It commonly lives in the coral reefs of the Indo-Pacific region, including the Red Sea, Hawaii, and the eastern coast of Africa. The eel's teeth are shaped like molars, crushing crustaceans such as shrimp, crabs, and mollusks before eating them.
Despite its unique appearance and eating habits, this type of eel is peaceful. When approached by divers or snorkelers, it retreats to rocky shelters.
The Zebra Dove originated from Southeast Asia and has successfully spread to various locations worldwide. It is adaptable to various environments, including open habitats like farmland gardens and urban areas.
It is a relatively small bird with black and white stripes on its upper body and a pale grey belly. The bird's call is one of the most pleasant among dove species. Moreover, it primarily feeds on small seeds and grains, as well as small insects and invertebrates.
The Zebra Dove's monogamous behavior is unique among birds; pairs of Zebra Doves often preen each other and share meals.
Despite existing protective laws, hunters often target zebras for their skins and meat. Climate change further exacerbates the challenges for zebras, who struggle with drought and extreme heat waves, jeopardizing their food and water sources.
Moreover, urbanization, agriculture, and deforestation affect zebra habitats, increasing conflicts between humans and zebras.
International Zebra Day aims to raise awareness about what these creatures face, and by doing so, it calls everyone to action. Learn more about facts, the latest data, and global initiatives that can help you with the cause below.
Zebras' black and white stripes are a natural bug repellent and marker of individual identification.
Zebra foals are born with brown and white stripes. Some even have spots.
Their adaptive digestive system allows them to efficiently extract energy from fibrous grasses, contributing to their survival in environments with scarce food.
Zebra stripes regulate their body temperature and help them camouflage themselves in the African continent.
Their wide-set eyes and swiveling ears help them detect potential threats in their surroundings.
IUCN reported Plains Zebras to be near threatened. However, a 2020 study reported that the population had decreased by 25% since 20021.
IUCN categorized Mountain Zebras as Vulnerable3. With over 34,000 mature individuals, its population is rising due to the recovery from a drought in the 80s. However, the threat remains, hence the vulnerable status.
The most unfortunate of the three zebra species is the endangered Grévy's zebra. Its population declined by more than half for the last three decades2. Habitat degradation, competition with livestock, and local hunting are the top threats that led to their status.
1979:
The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) included Grevy's zebras in its appendices, regulating their international trade.
2008:
The IUCN moved down the status of Mountain Zebras from Endangered to Vulnerable.
2010:
The UN General Assembly declared 2011-2020 as the United Nations Decade on Biodiversity, indirectly promoting zebra conservation efforts.
2015:
The UN adopted the Sustainable Development Goals, which include targets related to wildlife conservation.
2016:
The IUCN updated the status of the Plains zebra from Least Concern to Near Threatened.
Zebra Longwing , the state butterfly of Florida, is a neotropical butterfly native to Mexico, Central America, Florida, and some parts of Texas. It has long black wings with bold and narrow yellow stripe and a wingspan of 72 to 100 mm.
To think of a zebra as a striped horse is not quite right, but not quite wrong either. Zebras are members of the horse family Equidae. Zebras are also unmistakably striped! Each zebra has a distinct pattern of stripes, as unique as a person’s fingerprints.
Grévy's zebra (Equus grevyi), also known as the imperial zebra, is the largest living wild equid and the most threatened of the three species of zebra, the other two being the plains zebra and the mountain zebra. Named after Jules Grévy, it is found in parts of Kenya and Ethiopia. Superficially, Grévy's zebras' physical features can help to identify it from the other zebra species; their overall appearance is slightly closer to that of a mule, compared to the more "equine" (horse) appearance of the plains and mountain zebras. Compared to other zebra species, Grévy's are the tallest; they have mule-like, larger ears, and have the tightest stripes of all zebras. They have distinctively erect manes, and more slender snouts.
