why caterpillars eat their eggshells

David Webster david.h.webster at ns.sympatico.ca
Fri Mar 30 13:11:22 EST 2001


Hi Folks,            Mar 30, 2001
    Why does the caterpillar eat the eggshell ? Because it is there.
Dave Webster, Kentville

Liz Day wrote:

> I had always thought newly-hatched caterpillars (I'm thinking saturniid
> moths, but it could be any lep) ate their eggshells because this provided
> protein.  However, a colleague says they do it to get microbes from the
> parent moth that enable them to digest cellulose.   Only, I didn't think
> caterpillars *did* digest cellulose, I thought they excreted it, but maybe
> I'm wrong on that too.
> Please straighten this out.... why DO they eat their eggshells?
>
> Thank you,
> Liz
>
> BTW - just got the "Caterpillars of Eastern Forests" book and it's
> terrific!!!   Get one.... so many beautiful photos....
>
> -------------------------------------------------------------
> Liz Day
> Indianapolis, Indiana, central USA  (40 N, ~86 W)
> USDA zone 5b.  Winters ~20F, summers ~85F.  Formerly temperate deciduous
> forest.
> daylight at kiva.net
> www.kiva.net/~daylight
>
>
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>
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