Content:
Caterpillars are commonly thought of as boring, brown creatures that slowly inch their way across the ground. But did you know that caterpillars can do some pretty amazing things?
Did you know, for example, that a caterpillar can consume its own weight in food every day? Or that some caterpillars have the ability to spin silk webs?
Here are ten fascinating facts about caterpillars that will make you appreciate them in a whole new way. Ready? Let’s get this party started!
10 Amazing Caterpillar Facts
Fact #1
Caterpillars are amazing creatures that can consume a massive amount of food during their lifetime. During their lifetime, some caterpillars consume up to 27,000 times their own body weight! This means that a penny-sized caterpillar could consume more than two pounds of food. Wow! That’s a lot of food!
Caterpillars primarily consume leaves, but some species also consume fruits, flowers, and other insects. They cut through the food with their powerful mandibles (jaws). Caterpillars have a unique digestive system that aids in the breakdown of the food they consume. This system consists of a crop, which is similar to a small stomach, and a gut, which is similar to a long intestine.
Caterpillars play an important role in the food chain. They aid in the recycling of nutrients back into the environment. They also serve as a source of food for other animals such as birds, bats, and amphibians.
Fact #2
The larval stage of the life cycle of a caterpillar is all about development. In a matter of weeks, the caterpillar will grow at an exponential rate. Because the cuticle, or skin, of the caterpillar, is only so pliable, it will molt several times as it grows in size and mass.
A stage between molts is known as an instar, and most caterpillars go through 5 to 6 instars before pupating.
The caterpillar’s diet is also to blame for its rapid growth. Caterpillars are herbivores, meaning they eat a lot of leaves, buds, and flowers. Some caterpillar species can increase their body mass by 1,000 times or more!
The American lobster can weigh up to 20 pounds, but the heaviest recorded caterpillar weighed in at 182 grams or approximately 6.4 ounces.
Fact #3
When a caterpillar ecloses (hatches) from its egg, the rest of the shell is usually consumed.
Surprisingly, some caterpillar species do not consume their eggshells. These larvae are typically born from partially decomposed eggs. The caterpillars consume the egg’s remaining organic matter before beginning their own feeding frenzy.
So whether or not a caterpillar eats its eggshell is determined by the species and the hatching conditions.
Some people believe that eating eggshells provides important minerals to caterpillars that they would not get otherwise. Others believe that the shell serves no purpose other than to take up space in the larva’s stomach and provides no nutritional value.
Nonetheless, most experts agree that the chorion is a nutritious meal for a newly hatched caterpillar and that it aids in the development of the young larva.
Fact #4
Did you know that a caterpillar’s body can contain up to 4,000 muscles? That’s a lot of biceps! In fact, a caterpillar is one of the world’s most muscular creatures. It requires all of those muscles to move around and eat leaves.
Humans, on the other hand, have only 650 muscles in a much larger body. The caterpillar’s head capsule alone is made up of 248 different muscles. Each body segment is controlled by approximately 70 muscles. Surprisingly, one or two neurons innervate each of the 4,000 muscles.
Caterpillars are also extremely powerful for their size. They have the ability to lift up to 50 times their own weight! This is due to the fact that they must be able to grasp leaves while eating.
Fact #5
Caterpillars have 12 eyes, which are arranged in a semi-circle in 6 tiny eyelets on each side of the head, known as stemmata. Typically, one of the six eyelets is offset and closer to the antennae.
Aside from the 12 eyes, the caterpillar’s eyesight isn’t particularly good. In reality, they can only see in black and white. This is due to the fact that their eyes are primarily used for distinguishing between light and dark. Caterpillars frequently move their heads from side to side while navigating, which helps them judge depth and distance.
Fact #6
Did you know caterpillars can make silk? That’s correct! Caterpillars produce silk using modified salivary glands on the sides of their mouth.
Some caterpillars, like gypsy moths, disperse by “ballooning” from the treetops on a silken thread. Others, such as eastern tent caterpillars and webworms, live in groups in silk tents.
Bagworms use silk to build a home out of dead foliage. When caterpillars pupate, they use silk to suspend their chrysalis or to construct a cocoon.
The caterpillar may use silk to protect itself from predators or the environment in some cases. Monarch caterpillars, for example, will make a silken “button” on the top of their chrysalis to serve as a decoy for birds. When a bird pecks at the button, toxins are released, poisoning the bird.
Fact #7
Caterpillars, like adult butterflies and moths, have six legs. Some people may be perplexed by this because they expect caterpillars to have more or fewer legs than adult caterpillars. But don’t worry, all of a caterpillar’s legs eventually turn into wings!
This means that caterpillars will always have six legs as they grow and change. They will still have six legs even when they are in their pupal stage and their body is changing into that of a butterfly or moth.
Interestingly, the majority of those legs are false legs called prolegs, which help the caterpillar hold onto plant surfaces and climb. The three pairs of legs on the caterpillar’s thoracic segments are its true legs, which it will keep throughout its life. A caterpillar’s abdominal segments can have up to 5 pairs of prolegs, with a terminal pair on the hind end being the most common.
Fact #8
Caterpillars move by inch worming or looping, which may appear to be a simple method of locomotion. But there’s more to it than just leg movement.
The caterpillar’s blood pressure changes as it moves forward, and its gut, which is essentially a cylinder suspended inside its body, advances in sync with the head and tail. Inchworms and loopers, which have fewer prolegs, move by extending their front half and pulling their hind ends forward.
Scientists have been studying this behavior for years, but they still don’t know why the caterpillars do it. Some speculate that it has something to do with predator avoidance; by moving in a wavelike pattern, the caterpillars make it more difficult for predators to track them. Others believe that motion helps caterpillars sense their surroundings and even communicate with one another.
Caterpillars, while not as graceful as some of their more mobile cousins, are actually quite sophisticated movers!
Fact #9
Caterpillars can avoid becoming a bird snack in a variety of ways. Some caterpillars, such as the black swallowtail caterpillar in its early instars, look like bird droppings. Others, such as Geometridae inchworms, resemble twigs with markings that resemble leaf scars or bark.
Some caterpillars have large eyespots to deter birds from eating them. For example, the spicebush swallowtail brightens its appearance to advertise its toxicity. These caterpillars are less likely to become someone’s lunch with such a colorful disguise.
Fact #10
When you see a caterpillar on a leaf and try to remove it, you should know that this little guy is actually doing the environment a big favor. This is because caterpillars and plants have co-evolved over time, with caterpillars evolving to eat specific plants in order to obtain the nutrients they require. Many caterpillars can even sequester the toxins from these plants in their own bodies, rendering them unappealing to predators.
The monarch caterpillar and its host plant, milkweed, are excellent examples of this. The monarch caterpillar feeds on glycosides produced by the milkweed plant. Toxins like these remain in the monarch butterfly throughout its life, making it unappealing to birds and other predators.
So, the next time you see a caterpillar munching on a leaf, remember that you’re witnessing an important part of nature in action!
Conclusion
Caterpillars are among the most fascinating creatures on the planet. With so many different species, it’s difficult not to be fascinated by these tiny creatures.
Check out our other articles if you want to learn more about these amazing animals.
And, as always, please share your thoughts in the comments section below!