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Pyrrharctia isabella
These caterpillars take 14 years to pupate typically emerging from it`s egg in the fall. During the winter months they survive by being completely frozen solid.
Wooded areas in North America
Spotted on Dec 16, 2011
Submitted on Dec 16, 2011
4 Comments
Thanks all for the welcomes! Thanks KarenL for the info....it makes them all the more interesting :o)
wow guys thats great info, thanks for sharing!!
They are amazing aren't they! They length of time they take to pupate depends on the length of the summer season - in the US the summers are long enough for them to eat enough to pupate in a year but in the arctic the very short summers & limited availability of food means it can take up to 14 years (as you have said) for them to eat enough to grow to the point where they are able to pupate! The moths only live a few days - long enough for them to mate & start the cycle again!
It doesn't actually take 14 years for these caterpillars to become moths, it's more like a year, at most. Some information about its biology can be found here: http://bugguide.net/node/view/539.