Papilio ulysses is also known as the blue mountain butterfly, is a large swallowtail butterfly, that lives in Australasia. The ulysses butterfly typically has a wingspan of about 14cm, but depending on subspecies there are some variations in size. The upper side of the wings are electric blue, and the underside of the wings are black or brown. The colors are produced by the microscopic structure of the scale.
The ulysses protect themselves by various forms of defense mechanism. Some may use mimicry to appear like another animal, perhaps a bird. Some eat toxic plants making them poisonous to their predator. The Papilio ulysses can also camouflage, blending into their environment so well that is it almost impossible to spot them when they are resting on a branch. They almost appear looking like dead leaves, or the bark of a tree.
The P. ulysses butterfly is found on 6 of the 7 continents excluding Antarctica. They are found mostly in tropical areas like Northern Queensland, Northern islands of Australia and Papua New Guinea, but below the Canopy in a rain forest.
The ulysses butterfly is very rare, they have a short life span from a few days to about 8 months..The ulysses butterfly is a protected animal in Australia. The Nature Conservation Act of 1980 says a license is required to keep, possess, breed, buy, sell or dispose of the ulysses butterfly.
