The Life Cycle of the Monarch Caterpillar from ProjectExplorer.org
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0:06 - 0:09[Upbeat jingle plays]
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0:19 - 0:23First, the butterfly starts as a very small egg
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0:23 - 0:25laid on the leaf of a milkweed plant.
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0:27 - 0:32About 4 days later a caterpillar is hatched and goes straight to work
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0:32 - 0:34eating milkweed in order to grow.
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0:38 - 0:40For 2 weeks the caterpillar eats and eats
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0:40 - 0:46then it shimmies, shakes and sheds its skin twice as it continues to grow.
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0:52 - 0:56Once fully grown the caterpillar attaches itself to a twig or leaf
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0:56 - 0:59then it begins the process of metamorphosis.
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0:59 - 1:02Unlike a silkworm that spins a cocoon
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1:02 - 1:06the Monarch caterpillar sheds its skin one final time
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1:06 - 1:09revealing a hard shell known as the chrysalis.
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1:09 - 1:12Although it may look as though nothing is happening,
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1:12 - 1:15during this 10-day chrysalis phase
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1:15 - 1:19major changes are taking place that result in a fully grown butterfly.
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1:19 - 1:22Once the butterfly emerges from its chrysalis,
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1:22 - 1:25it only lives for a few months.
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1:25 - 1:30This gives it just enough time to fly, mate and produce another egg.
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1:30 - 1:34The entire cycle from egg to adult takes about 30 days.
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1:34 - 1:38And that's the life cycle of the Monarch caterpillar.
- Title:
- The Life Cycle of the Monarch Caterpillar from ProjectExplorer.org
- Description:
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A kid-friendly video describing the lifecycle of the Monarch caterpillar. Narrated and written by Gabrielle Pasternak. Music courtesy of Jingle Punks.
The ProjectExplorer.org series was created by Jenny M. Buccos. For more on ProjectExplorer.org's children's programming visit: projectexplorer.org/me
© ProjectExplorer.org, 2011. All rights reserved.
- Video Language:
- English