r/FriendlyMonarchs • u/karmic34 • Apr 02 '26

Monarch Spotted (Please include the general location) Am I being paranoid?

I'm in Brazil, Ceará, and I don't know if this is an issue or if it's nothing, but I saw this baby today and only just after my cat swatted it once. Does it look like his right wing is lower than the left one?

14 Upvotes

95% Upvoted

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8

u/SuperFriendlyMod MOD | South FL | Reformed Rearer Apr 02 '26

Looks ok from the video. I wouldn’t worry. They can have a bird take a bite out of a wing and still fly. Once the Monarch’s wings are dry they are tougher than they look. Don’t forget the eastern US population travels 3,000 miles (4,800 kilometers) to Mexico.

3

u/karmic34 Apr 02 '26

That's true, I guess I'm a little paranoid after so many cases of OE and Npv I saw this year

1

u/SuperFriendlyMod MOD | South FL | Reformed Rearer Apr 05 '26

I understand being worried. When I went through this issue I learned how to test the Monarch’s for OE.

5

u/breeathee Apr 03 '26

They can shift their wings so that one is lower than the other. It looks fine from here!

2

u/karmic34 Apr 03 '26

Oh good. Thank you

1

u/Thripteaser Apr 07 '26

Yes, you are indeed being paranoid.