Science Fair Project Encyclopedia
Cocoon (silk)
A cocoon is a casing spun of silk by caterpillars and certain other insect larvae. Butterfly caterpillars do not spin a cocoon but a chrysalis. Some caterpillars attach small twigs, fecal pellets or pieces of vegetation to the outside of their cocoon in an attempt to disguise it from predators. Others spin their cocoon in a concealed location - on the underside of a leaf, in a crevice , or down near the base of a treetrunk .
Silkworm cocoons are processed and used to produce natural silk for clothing.
Last updated: 05-09-2005 17:17:08
10-26-2009 08:16:03
The contents of this article is licensed from www.wikipedia.org under the GNU Free Documentation License. Click here to see the transparent copy and copyright details
The contents of this article is licensed from www.wikipedia.org under the GNU Free Documentation License. Click here to see the transparent copy and copyright details