Royalty free Hickory Tussock Moth Caterpillars On A Log premium stock photo

Cocoon

Log

Moth

Insect

White

Animal Hair Caterpillar

CONTRIBUTOR

PaulSturmey

DESCRIPTION

hickory tussock moth caterpillar crawling along a log

Related images from iStock | Save Now arrow-right

Similar photos

Cocoon
Silkworms are very hungry. They eat mulberry leaves day and night. Silkworm eggs take about ten days to hatch. When the colour of their heads turns darker, it means that it is time for them to shed their skins. After they shed four times, their bodies turn slightly yellow and their skin becomes tighter, which means they are going to become a pupa. While they are a pupa, they turn into moths. Before becoming a pupa, the silkworm wraps itself in a cocoon, to help protect itself. The silkworm is called a silkworm because it spins its cocoon from raw silk that it makes in its mouth. Many other larva produce cocoons, but only a few silkworms are used to make silk. The cocoon is made of one thread of raw silk from 300 to 900 meters (1000 to 3000 feet) long. The fibers are very thin. About 2,000 to 5,000 cocoons are needed to make a pound of silk. If the animal is allowed to survive after spinning its cocoon, it will make a hole in the cocoon when it exits as a moth. This would cut the threads and ruin the silk. Instead, silkworm cocoons are thrown into boiling water, which kills the silkworms and also makes the cocoons easier to unravel. Often, the silkworm itself is eaten. The adult silkworms (moths) cannot fly. The silkworm-moths have wings about 2 inches wide and a white hairy body. Females are about two to three times bigger than the males, but similarly colored. Adult silkworms have small mouths and do not eat.
Cocoon Capsule Making

Cocoon

Related images from iStock | Save Now arrow-right
Related images from iStock | Save Now arrow-right