Do Caterpillars Shed Their Skins?
- Caterpillars are Holometabolous insects which means they go through a complete metamorphosis or transformation to become an adult. As with all insects, caterpillars begin as an egg and must go through a life cycle to become a mature insect, the butterfly. The life cycle of Holometabolous insects includes four stages: egg, larva, pupa and adult.
- In order to understand the life cycle of caterpillars it is necessary to understand that the life cycle is really that of the butterfly, in which the caterpillar is technically a stage of this life cycle. The type of adult insect determines the shape of the egg, which can be round or oval and near transparent or grooved and reside upon leaves of plants.
- When the egg hatches, the second stage of the life cycle emerges, called the larva or the caterpillar. The caterpillar spends its time eating the leaf it rests upon during this stage. The mother butterfly knows which kind of leaf her caterpillar prefers and purposefully picks that kind of leaf on which to deposit her egg. As the caterpillar consumes the leaf, it grows quickly by expanding its exoskeleton, or skin, through the process of molting or shedding of its skin.
- The pupa, or chrysalis, is the third stage of the caterpillar life cycle. After consuming enough food to reach its full length the caterpillar encases itself in this structure which is commonly referred to as a cocoon, and appears to be resting. This however, is the stage in the insect's life cycle where many changes are taking place. The caterpillar undergoes a metamorphosis where its organs transform into those of a butterfly.
- Once the caterpillar completes its metamorphosis inside its cocoon, the adult insect emerges incredibly as a butterfly. As it emerges and the blood begins to pump the butterfly's wings stretch out from its body and the butterfly will fly away. This process generally takes a few hours, after which time the butterfly is off and flying in search of a mate to begin the process over again.
