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| Zoom Butterflies BUTTERFLY LIFE CYCLE |
| The Egg | Larva (Caterpillar) | Pupa | Adult |
| Caterpillar The Larval Stage of a Butterfly |
A caterpillar is the larval stage of
butterflies and moths. The caterpillar hatches from a tiny egg and will
eventually pupate and turn into an adult butterfly or moth.
This larval stage usually lasts from two weeks to about a month. This is the
main feeding stage of the butterfly. Caterpillars eat almost constantly and grow
very quickly, at an astonishing rate.
Diet
Caterpillars mostly eat the leaves of flowering
plants and trees using their powerful jaws (mandibles) Caterpillars are very
limited in their diet; many species will only eat the leaves of a single type of
plant. They usually eat only the plant that their mother carefully chose to lay
their egg on.
Only a few lepidoptera larva are carnivores. The larva of
the Harvester Butterfly exclusively eats woolly aphids.
Growing and Molting
As
caterpillars grow, their exoskeleton becomes tight on them, so they molt (lose
their old exoskeleton). After the molt, while the new skin is still soft, they
swallow a lot of air, which expands their body. Then, when the cuticle hardens,
they let the air out and have room for growth.
![]() The Tiger Swallowtail caterpillar has large eyespots that make it look like a large snake-like predator and not a vulnerable larva. |
Label Caterpillar Anatomy Printout
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