The small caterpillars belong to the animalia kingdom. They prefer to live alone and with their respective groups, as being in groups keeps them safe from potential predators. They feed on plants, trees, grass, and leaves. They like to live surrounded by abundant food sources, at the same time that it helps them stay away from terrestrial predators. Moth and butterfly larvae are commonly found feeding on leaves, although some types of caterpillars are cannibals and feed on other species.
This insect does not reproduce, as it represents the young version of a butterfly. The process of transforming a caterpillar into a butterfly takes two to five weeks. The head of the caterpillar is the most attractive part of the insect. It has six pairs of eyes on both sides and six legs on each side.
Thus, what all caterpillars have in common is the incredible metamorphosis they undergo on their journey from egg to butterfly or moth. So during this larval stage, its main purpose is to eat and grow. They grow so large during their short lives that they usually shed their skin several times, often quickly renewing their appearance. They can increase their body mass up to 10,000 times or more (and in less than 20 days).
The butterfly caterpillars then molt one last time into a hard chrysalis to begin their makeover.
His body is fabulous too. The body of a caterpillar has around 4,000 muscles (compared to 629 in humans) and has no skeleton to maintain its shape. They are like small balloons inflated by your own blood that move through contraction of the muscles in the rear segments that push the blood toward the front segments that lengthen the torso.
Do you want to know some of the most striking specimens? Let’s go!
