Cannibalistic Monarchs???

[Paul Cherubini]

The following post on this subject was submitted to the monarch 
discussion, dplex-list today:

Subject: Re: Do Caterpillars Cannibalize?
Date: Tue, 15 Aug 2000 10:26:34 -0500
From: Addie Carlsen <mowsee at execpc.com>
Reply-To: dplex-l at raven.cc.ukans.edu
To: dplex-l at raven.cc.ukans.edu
References: <B5BED726.3787%steve at activevr.com>

Yes, Stephen, monarch caterpillars do cannibalize once in a while. Last year I
started with 10 lst instar larvae and ended up with one nice fat caterpillar. I
put the the number on the jar. I am experiencing one here and there
disappearing and usually one caterpillar a little bigger than the rest.

Addie Carlsen in SE Wisconsin

Stephen Sugrim wrote:

> I had three caterpillars in an aquarium - now I have one very large larva.
> There is absolutely no trace of the other two, not even a dried up shell of
> one.