Swallowtail Butterfly Larva Spins Loop (Time Lapse)

[lilityger19]

I wonder what they taste like.

[hellboy359]

Weedle, use string shot!

[DominoHong]

wow epic worm !!!

[jcmegabyte]

@DominoHong Glad you enjoyed the show - thanks a bunch for visiting! =)

[rockstone2100]

how do you take care of the pupa?

[jcmegabyte]

In most cases you don't have to do anything too specieal - just keep them dry and in an environment like it would experience in the wild... the butterfly (or moth) inside should develop and emerge just like it would if it were outside... :-)

[rockstone2100]

@jcmegabyte thanks! I have recently raised two lime swallowtails into pupa. They both emerged into healthy butterflies :)

[JCMDInature]

Cool =) If you have any photos or vids of them you should upload them here - we'd like to see 'em!

[regalgsme]

its tying its own noose! DAMB THE ECONOMY!

[lovesmovies477]

oh your a douche

[Slowico]

Very Nice Picture

[jcmegabyte]

Thanks so much! =)

[DemonShadowification]

question: how do you raise butterflies and moths! its amazing!!

[jcmegabyte]

It's not very difficult to raise common species... You can collect the caterpillars in the field, and bring them home. They like it warm and dry, with lots of the right food plant they need to grow. When they're fully grown, they look for a place to pupate, and then after developing, they emerge as butterflies. You can get a lot of info and ideas from my butterfly life cycle vids, and also from documentation on my website (it's free to the public) :-) Cheers!

[DemonShadowification]

@jcmegabyte ah right. well better go looking for something suitable for them to be in then :) thanks a lot. i'll be sure to take a browse next spring.

[NYtassu]

Little after 0:59, wow, that's something you can only see in circus :P

[jcmegabyte]

It really helps to not have a spine! XD Thanks for checking it out =)

[NYtassu]

@jcmegabyte Yeah, no problem. cool vid :)

[DeepCosmo]

never seen such a thing in my life...thats pretty cool, thanks =D

[jcmegabyte]

Bug definitely do interesting stuff... thanks for watching and commenting! =)

[thetreeclimber229]

it looks like a lttle dance thing

[jcmegabyte]

The caterpillar definitely has the moves! XD Thanks so much for visiting! =)

[WarriorFrostpaw]

like a pro : )

[jcmegabyte]

Thanks for checking it out! =)

[swicknire]

wtf did it just make itself a seat belt?

[jcmegabyte]

That's pretty much it - stapping itself in while bending its head around its back. Clever little bug!

[lovesmovies477]

@swicknire I know- the idiot that put this video up is an asshole. he could've shown the damn thing go into its caccoon at the very least. such trash

[FluffyPonBomb]

@lovesmovies477 Maybe you should look at the video title before clicking on it. He put up a video EXACTLY fitting the title. "Spins loop" Not "Spins cocoon". Why don't you just click one that states it's a cocoon video? No need to be mean.

[jcmegabyte]

It does kinda look like something Linda Blair might do! XD

[JEFFREYVTRAN]

I have like 15 catterpillarrs in my container is that too much? send me a message thanks

[jcmegabyte]

I've raised 300+ in one container before. It's critical that you keep them warm (75F-85F) and DRY. Don't let high humidity or condensation occur in the container - that will promote disease, fungus and other problems which can kill them pretty quickly. A cardboard box or plastic container with lots of screened vents allows good airflow. Don't let the frass (cater-poop) build up or get wet, and clean-up water spills right away. :-) What species do you have?

[colboy23]

i have a catterpilla that is basically in its chrysalis form the only problem was it was in my backyard on cement and winter is right around the corner was it smart for me to put it in a container?

[jcmegabyte]

I should be OK in a container, so long as it is kept out of direct sunlight and not exposed to any condensation. You should probably put a layer of paper towel on the bottom and sides of the container to help regulate moisture and also to provide something for the adult insect to grip when it emerges. It will need to climb up and hang from the side or top of the container in order to expand its wings properly. Good luck! =)

[Joshluver1234]

yea...every summer i collect the monarchs that are around my house and watch them change...i have 4 more right now but 1 i think is not going to make it ): hes kinda deformed from what the others do look like...its too skinny...and very small...about 1/3 of the size it should be.....do you think it will make it??

-Morgan <3

[jcmegabyte]

Usually, deformed larvae/pupae don't survive, but if they do, sometimes you can get really unusual adult abberations from weird ones like that. Dwarfed adults, weird colors/patterns - they're rare but do happen. I would rear it just like all the rest and see what happens :-)

[jcmegabyte]

Not sure why - I know there are a LOT of people who are afraid of moths and sometimes butterflies. Something about the hairiness and rapid flapping that freaks them out. :-)

[khaostim666]

awsome almost like a safety harness!, is this what they use to hang on the the twig when they are turning into butterflys? (dont know correct naame for this proses).

[jcmegabyte]

That's exactly what it is :-) Many butterfly caterpillars (which don't hang upside down) spin some variation of this "loop", "strap", "noose" (and many other names I've heard it called) to help secure themselves to the substrate. It's also attached to a silk button (using a method similar to velcro) by its tail. These two fastening points will hold the chrysalis in place until the butterlfy emerges, which can be up to 7 year later! :-)

[khaostim666]

7 years? Wo thats a long time, i would have thought that it would have been decomposed by then? thats crazy

[jcmegabyte]

Most butterflies emerge in a few months or the following year.

Howver, in desert conditions it's important for them to wait for enough rainfall and plant growth if their caterpillars are going to have enough to eat. 1-3 years is a common hibernation, with 3-5 years in long droughts. 5-7 years has been recorded in the lab, and it's almost certain they could go even longer in extreme cases, although survivability starts becoming less likely the longer they go. Amazing nature! :-)

[gorillazeatfroggz]

This caterpillar is too fat. You are a bad parent, stop shoving McDonalds down this poor thing's throat.

[jcmegabyte]

Maybe I should switch them over to a salad bar or something, but they just don't seem to like health food! XD Thanks for watching! :-)

[miniclipplay]

isnt it cruel to keep them or dont they relise and i really like catipillars

[jcmegabyte]

The caterpillars haven't a clue that they're "in captivity". In fact, nature is far more cruel - only about 1 in 100 survive to become a butterfly. The rest get eaten by spiders, ants, birds, or worse - parasitic wasps and flies that eat them alive from the inside out. Sometimes it really sucks being a caterpillar in nature!

[miniclipplay]

really only 1 out of 100 that is amazing thanks 4 that

[Rango9]

What an amazing video---it must have taken you (well, the camera) hours and hours to get all this activity and trim it down to one shot.  Love the time lapse.

These lil' creatures are mighty riveting.

[jcmegabyte]

Thanks for noticing... The entire project (Pipevine Swallowtail) took over a year to film all the clips, with many hours of preparing and waiting for specific events to occur. Making the final video from all the clips was the EASY part. These bugs are the worst actors to work with - they keep their own schedule and often won't tell you what it is... "SURPRISE! I'm shedding my skin now - hope you were ready with the camera!" Whew, tough union!

Hahaha XD Thanks for the view/comment :D

[mysarip]

wow, like everyone else said, awesome Thanks!

[jcmegabyte]

It definitely takes a LOT of watching to catch the good parts. This project went on for weeks. The actual tail button and loop-spinning process only takes 15-30 minutes, but you have to watch the caterpillar for many hours while it "decides" where to attach itself, or you'll miss it. You also have to be careful not to change the lighting or other objects nearby, or the bug might change its mind and move to another place!

[SeriousIlya]

wow dude that thing is cool...

and it seems like youve observed it for not less than 1.7 hours :O

[backyardbugs]

Great video! Thanks for responding to mine on the Monarch butterfly.

[myjugsarehuge]

Amazing video

[lepidopterist101]

This is a great and most educational video. I've reared butterflies all my life, but had no clue how swallowtails make the girds.

[jcmegabyte]

It took me a LOT of watching with the camera ready to finally catch one doing it (like many of these unusual insect events). The first one was ever saw was a Pale Swallotwtail (one of my first videos - also posted on YouTube). Fascinating critters!

[mrdavesmagic]

That was so neat to see the hard work done by the caterpillar. I have wondered how they get the loops around them. Thanks for sharing

[jcmegabyte]

That whole silk spinning process is just amazing - like little engineers. I had to raise a lot of them and film constantly to get that single hour's worth of time lapse video. Well worth it though!