Caterpillars are the larvae, or young, of butterflies and moths. The word comes from the Latin catta pilosa, meaning “hairy cat.” Although it is easy to recognize the hairy variety, many caterpillars with bare skins are often mistaken for worms, such as the cabbageworm and armyworm.

Body Parts

The head of a caterpillar is followed by 12 or 13 segments. Like all insects, caterpillars have three pairs of permanent legs, one pair on each of the first three segments directly behind the head. These legs are usually hard and jointed. At their tips are tiny claws, but in some caterpillars these are not developed. The caterpillar also has two to five pairs of soft, thick legs that support the rest of its long body. These disappear when it changes into a moth or butterfly. A caterpillar has six tiny beadlike eyes on each side of the head, just above the strong upper jaws. It breathes through nine small openings on each side of its body. These are called tracheae. It also has short antennae.


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 inches (10 centimeters) long. The clothes moth caterpillar, one of the smallest, is almost never bigger than 0.25 inch (0.6 centimeter).


Caterpillars are the prey of many birds and insects. To avoid attacks, they have natural protections. Some caterpillars are colored to blend into their surroundings. Others have showy dots or stripes on their bodies that make them look fierce or very large. A few give off unpleasant smells, and a small number grow poisonous hair.



The change that a caterpillar undergoes to turn into a butterfly or a moth is called metamorphosis. Some caterpillars may take only a few days to make this change. Most, however, stay as caterpillars throughout the warm season. A small number may live as long as four years in the caterpillar form before they change.


The first step for many caterpillars is to build a cocoon or shell. A caterpillar spins its cocoon with threads of sticky fluid that flow from an opening in the lower lip. The fluid hardens in the air to form the covering.

Some caterpillars form a bag of silk that encloses them completely. Others roll up a leaf and fasten the edges with the silk. Many hairy caterpillars pad their cocoon with their own hair. Some caterpillars do not build a cocoon. Many of the moth caterpillars take shelter simply by burrowing in the ground or under a stone or fallen leaf. The butterfly caterpillars may hang from leaves or twigs by their tail. They can also spin a button of silk on a twig or leaf and dangle from it by a silk strap.


Whether protected by a cocoon or not, the caterpillar gradually becomes ready to shed its last skin. Then the caterpillar grows a tough flexible shell or case. When this happens, the caterpillar has become a pupa. The moth pupa is usually dull brown. The butterfly pupa is sometimes called a chrysalis. It is shiny and often has brilliant colors.


Important changes happen to the pupa in the shell. Wings and other organs grow to make the caterpillar a moth or butterfly. This change to the adult stage may take anywhere from a few days to several months. Finally, the new moth or butterfly emerges from the shell and begins its new life.

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