Do all caterpillars turn into butterflies?

Not all caterpillars turn into butterflies. Some of them turn into moths. Caterpillars and butterflies are both classified as lepidopteran insects, but they belong to different suborders. Butterflies belong to the Rhopalocera suborder, while moths belong to the Heterocera suborder.

There are two main differences between butterflies and moths: antennae and mouthparts.

The antennae of a butterfly are clubbed (clubs or bulbs at the end), whereas those of a moth are feathery or saw-edged.

In addition, a butterfly has a long proboscis (a tube-like mouthpart) that uncoils to suck up nectar from flowers; a moth does not have a coiled proboscis but has a straw-like mouthpart for sucking up liquids.

Why do some caterpillars not turn into butterflies?

Butterflies and moths lay eggs that will turn into small caterpillars, which will later undergo a metamorphosis and transform into either a butterfly or moth. But only around 10% of caterpillars ever make it to the butterfly stage. The other 90% die before they can make the transformation, usually from disease or predators.

Do all caterpillars turn into moths?

No, not all caterpillars turn into moths. In fact, many caterpillars turn into butterflies!

A caterpillar is the larval stage of a member of the order Lepidoptera.

This order contains butterflies and moths. The differences between butterflies and moths are slight, but there are some distinctions that set them apart from one another.

The answer, then, is that not all caterpillars turn into butterflies. Because the differences between butterflies and moths are relatively subtle and easy to miss, the tendency is to assume that they are all the same.