Caterpillars

Introduction:
A caterpillar is in the insect family comprising of butterflies and moths. Some caterpillars have smooth skin; others are hairy, but all have soft, tubular, segmented, slow-moving, wormlike bodies. They have ten abdominal segments with a row of simple eyes on either side of the body, and very distinct heads. They have three pairs of short, jointed legs; in addition, they have up to ten unjointed, fleshy appendages, called prolegs, on some abdominal segments. The prolegs end in clusters of tiny hooks.

Location:
Various species of caterpillars, totalling more than 140,000, exist world-wide.

Size:
Caterpillars vary in size from less than an inch to a few inches. For example, the hawk moth caterpillar, one of the largest, may grow to be 4" (10 cm) long. The clothes moth caterpillar, one of the smallest, is almost never bigger than 0.25" (0.6 cm).

Food:
Almost all caterpillars are vegetarian and eat leaves of plants, algae and photosynthesizing bacteria. There are a few exceptions of caterpillars that feed on eggs of other insects, aphids, scale insects, or ant larvae. Some Hawai'ian caterpillars use silk traps to capture snails for food. All caterpillars have strong jaws for chewing, and are voracious eaters.

Life Cycle:
Tiny butterfly eggs are usually laid on the underside of a leaf. A tiny larva, called a caterpillar, hatches from the egg. It will continuously eat, and shed its skin four or five times as it grows larger. Some will remain as a caterpillar for two or three months, others for about 10 months, hibernating through the winter in this stage. In the Arctic, some caterpillar species require two or three years to develop from egg to adult. When it has grown enough, the caterpillar will then turn into a pupa, and a fully-grown adult moth or butterfly will emerge from the pupa. It will soon mate and the female will lay eggs on a leaf. The adult life span of a butterfly is 2 weeks or less. No adult butterfly can live more than a year.

Interesting Facts:
· Some caterpillars are aquatic and have gills that let them breathe underwater.
· Caterpillars have 4,000 muscles (compared to humans, with 629).
· Caterpillars do not have good vision - they rely on their short antennae to help them locate food.
· Many caterpillars are nocturnal.
· The word caterpillar is derived from the Latin catta pilosa or “hairy cat”.
· Some caterpillars turn into butterflies, but most turn into moths.

Population & Predators:
Many animals feed on caterpillars, as they are protein rich. Some predators include birds, wasps, and mammals. In order to protect themselves from predators, different species of caterpillars use different strategies that include camouflage, eyespots, hiding, and the emitting of poison and bad smells. There are more than 20 butterflies and moths listed as endangered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and due to loss of their habitat, they may become extinct. Some butterflies from other countries, such as some rare birdwing butterflies from New Guinea, are endangered by loss of habitat and by collection of specimens for international trade.

Help Protect Their Environment:
·  Even though some species of caterpillars have been known to eat food crops, caterpillars are beneficial. They form the major part of the diet of many birds and other animals. Also the silk industry is due to the silkworm, which is a caterpillar.
·  Reduce and, preferably eliminate the use of harmful pesticides, as plants naturally evolve mechanisms of resistance to being eaten by caterpillars.