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The Zebra Swallowtail butterfly is a common butterfly with distinctive
black and white markings. The Zebra Swallowtail has a wingspan
of about 3.75-4.5 inches (9.5-11.5 cm).
It starts life as a tiny egg that hatches into a yellow-green caterpillar with black and yellow stripes. This caterpillar gives off a bad smell that keeps some predators (like wasps) away. After eating (pawpaw is the larval hot plant) and growing, the caterpillar becomes a pupa and eventually emerges as a fully-grown adult. Adult butterflies do not have jaws; they can only sip liquid nectar through a straw-like proboscis.