They spend a few days eating and then start building a cocoon. In the spring, the caterpillars thaw out and become active again. ![]() In the winter, they go into hibernation and their body secretes cryoprotectant, a chemical substance that acts as an anti-freezing agent, preventing their organs and tissue from damage by the cold weather. The hairs, also known as the setae, help protect them from predators. Some people even call them “hedgehog caterpillars” because of the way their spiky hair points outward when they curl up. The caterpillars go by many names, such as the “wooly worm”, “fuzzy bears”, “wooly bears” and “banded bears”. They have black edges and rusty orange color in the middle and their segmented body is covered with fuzzy-looking bristles. There are many species of wooly worms, but the most well-known is perhaps the banded wooly bears. ![]() While most people consider it a worm, it is actually a caterpillar that later hatches into a brightly colored moth with colors such as yellow, scarlet, white, orange, beige, and black. The wooly worm is the larval stage of the Isabella tiger moth, a lovely creature belonging to the Arctiidae family.
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