Swallowtail butterfly from the other butterfly families are: Swallowtail butterflies practice Batesian mimicry, a behavior in which the butterflies' appearance closely resemble that of distasteful species that prevents predation. Swallowtails differ from many animals that practice mimicry. The tiger swallowtail butterfly ("Papilio glaucus"), exhibits a female-limited polymorphism for Batesian mimicry and others, such as the Canadian tiger swallowtail ("Papilio canadensis") do not display any form of mimicry. Predators include the red-winged blackbird, Pennsylvania firefly, five-lined skink, green darner, goldenrod spider, Chinese mantis, fiery searcher, and striped skunk. Not all individuals in some species are identical in appearance. For example, "Papilio glaucus" (eastern
Swallowtail butterfly species inhabit altitudes ranging from sea level to high mountains, as in the case of most species of "Parnassius". The majority of swallowtail species and the greatest diversity are found in the tropics and subtropical regions between 20°N and 20°S, particularly Southeast Asia, and between 20°N and 40°N in East Asia. Only 12 species are found in Europe and only one species, "Papilio machaon" is found in the British Isles. North America has 40 species, including several tropical species and "Parnassius". The northernmost swallowtail is the Siberian Apollo ("Parnassius arcticus"), found in the Arctic Circle in northeastern Yakutia, at altitudes