LEARN NC multimedia

K–12 teaching and learning · from the UNC School of Education

The world of a butterfly

Long view

All insects’ bodies are divided into three parts: head, thorax, and abdomen. The larva’s true legs, just behind the head, protrude from the thorax. All the sections behind it are part of the abdomen.

Photograph by Kathryn Walbert

Thanks to Richard Stickney, Butterfly Curator at the North Carolina Museum of Life and Science, for his help in developing this slideshow. The text of this page is copyright ©2009. All Rights Reserved. Images and other media may be licensed separately; see captions for more information and read the fine print. | About the photograph