Today is Day 75 of our stay-at-home time. Keep reading to see what's happening to the caterpillars and to learn the answers to some of your questions. Also there are instructions to make a paper caterpillar that moves...make two and you can have a race!
CATERPILLAR UPDATE
The caterpillars are eating a lot and making lots of "frass". They are making some more webs to protect themselves and continue to molt and leave the old black exoskeletons behind. They are getting fatter.
I was removing some of the frass from a container with a toothpick and the caterpillar crawled on it! This was a great chance to get a close up photo of the caterpillar prolegs, the spiracles and the spikes on the exoskelton. Also the underside or ventral side of the caterpillar is a lighter colour than the top or dorsal side.
The caterpillars seem to stop growing once they get about 3 and 1/2 cm long. After they molt, the caterpillars have different patterns and colours and spikes on their exoskeletons. The caterpillar at the top of this photo is older than the one at the bottom of the photo.
COOL CATERPILLAR FACTS
* The name "caterpillar" comes from the old French and English words for "hairy cat".
* Caterpillars can't see well. They have 12 simple eyes or stemmata on their heads which can only see light and dark.
* They have over 4,000 muscles in their bodies. Most are used for moving by squeezing and unsqueezing their muscles. No other animal on Earth moves like a caterpillar.
* They don't have teeth, but their mouth parts, called mandibles can chew leaves. They chew side-to-side (not up and down).
* The webs are made out of "silk" which is caterpillar saliva that come out liquid. but hardens in the air to make the sticky webs.
HOW TO MAKE A PAPER CATERPILLAR THAT MOVES
Try this cool and easy paper craft and make a paper caterpillar that moves!
Here is the link to the video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3v_JYQC30i4&feature=youtu.be
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