EVERYDAY SCIENCE

Detailed explanation-1: -In the case of most species, the caterpillar on hatching immediately starts eating the eggshells which are loaded with enough nutrients while in other species, they start feeding on leaves. In gregarious species of insects, the group of caterpillars eats the eggshell to make their way outside the egg.

Detailed explanation-2: -Butterfly caterpillars eat like a machine, the only thing they do every day is to “eat". After hatching, the first thing they do is eating their own egg shells. Eggshell is rich in nutrition, eating it can reduce wastage and can also prevent predators from discovering the caterpillars.

Detailed explanation-3: -The newly hatched caterpillar eats its own egg and then eats leaves to get energy to grow. The caterpillar grows and moults many times, and after about three to four weeks it begins to pupate.

Detailed explanation-4: -Almost all caterpillars feed on plants and most plant-feeding caterpillars feed on leaves, which are the most abundant and accessible part of the plant.