Re: Why did our caterpillar turn fron tan to black?

Hello there!

Your caterpillar may be changing its appearance for any number of reasons.  

1.  The changes may be a part of its natural life cycle, much the same way 
that you lose your baby teeth at a certain period in your life.  

2.  The caterpillar may be trying to blend in with his new surroundings in 
the cage, like a chameleon.  If the color of the floor or surroundings is a 
darker color than he was, then this could be the case.  

3.  The caterpillar may be sick.  

I think the first two possibilities are most likely.  Continue to watch the 
caterpillar and see what happens.  If it continues to eat well and seems 
healthy, then this is probably the case.  You could perform a little 
experiment!  To test #2, try moving it to a cage with lighter or darker 
color surroundings.  If it changes color again, then #2 is probably right.  
If it doesn't change color in its newest home, then #1 is proabably right.

The difference in behavior between the two caterpillars probably means that 
they probably weren't the same species.  Good luck and say hello to the 
caterpillars for me!