Some cool video of animals images:
The Runt Of The Litter?
Image by Distant Hill Gardens
Two monarch butterfly caterpillars feeding on a milkweed plant. Butterflies and moths undergo complete metamorphosis, in which there are four distinct stages: egg, larva (caterpillar), pupa, and adult.
Monarch development from egg to adult is completed in about 30 days.
Larva (Caterpillar; 10-14 days)
It is during this stage that Monarchs do all of their growing. They begin life by eating their eggshell, and then move on to the plant on which they were laid.
When the caterpillar has become too large for its skin, it molts, or sheds its skin. At first, the new skin is very soft, and provides little support or protection. The new skin soon hardens and molds itself to the caterpillar, which often eats the shed skin before starting in anew on plant food! The intervals between molts are called instars. Monarchs go through five instars . These two caterpillars are at two different instar stages, hence the difference in size.
For more monarch Info go to: www.monarchwatch.org/
For an incredible video of a monarch caterpillar transforming into a chrysalis, the pupa stage of their life cycle, check out: www.youtube.com/watch?v=LY-Fiyq8jc4
