| MadSci Network: Zoology |
Hi Jessica,
It is not possible to answer your question exactly because every caterpillar is different. However, the instructions given in on this website about feeding caterpillars should you wish to raise them seems fair for most types.
What we can say about caterpillars is that they are incredible eating machines. Some caterpillars, between hatching from an egg and turning into a chrysalis, will increase their body weight thousands of times in under three months. This would be equivalent to a human baby becoming the size of a large truck in the same time span. The caterpillars of the silkworm moths (Family Saturniidae) are certainly impressive examples. Due to their size and their amazing growth rate, they will completely strip plants of all their leaves and only a few eggs can be laid on each plant. See this picture of the The Giant Peacock Moth to gain an appreciation of their size. In real life, it looks even more impressive because it can stretch itself to much larger size while moving around. To find out more about the biggest silkworm moth in Southern Ontario, visit this site about Cecropia Moths.
Hope this helps.
Richard Kingsley
Try the links in the MadSci Library for more information on Zoology.
