If you interrupt it while it’s trying to form a chrysalis, and continue to interrupt it, would it eventually die or would it just continue to live (even for years later) until it could finally turn into a butterfly?
In: Biology
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Caterpillars produce a certain hormone when they are young, and produce less as they get older which triggers their transformation. If they are unable to change into a butterfly they will continue to eat untill they cannot grow any further and usually end up dieing of dehydration.
Some forms of parasitic wasps lay their eggs on caterpillars. The eggs then hatch and the wasp larva burrow into the caterpillar where they consume it from the inside. One of the side effects is that the wasp larva release chemicals to prevent the caterpillar from turning into a pupa. These infested caterpillars can grow much larger than normal.
The wasp larva will eventually kill off the caterpillar and crawl out to form coccoons on the caterpillar’s body before repeating the cycle. Introducing the wasps is one of the common ways to control caterpillars destroying crops.
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