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Stage 2: The Caterpillar |
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After about a week, the eggs hatch and a caterpillar pushes its head out through the shell. Soon, the rest of his body comes out too! This caterpillar is also less than 1/2 inch long, but he eats so much that he grows very quickly! Nothing goes to waste, and the first meal the caterpillar has is to eat its own shell! Next, the caterpillar starts to eat leaves. By the time it is fully grown, the caterpillar may be up to 3 inches long. The body of the caterpillar has many parts. These parts, called segments are: head, thorax, and abdomen. Caterpillars also have SIX small eyes on their heads and SIX pointed legs which are joined to the thorax. It also has four prolegs, which are not proper legs because they end in a sucker. The suckers help the caterpillar to hang on to stems and leaves without falling! They have some jaws and they eat all day so that they grow quickly. Their jaws are strong and sharp to help them rip and tear through the leaves that they want to eat. |
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SD
