Posted by Lisa Stewart on November 9, 2006

Q: I have an Orange Dog caterpillar that I would like to bring to my classroom. Are they in any way harmful for having around children? (I do not intend to let the children handle it.) Also, how long do they stay in their chrysalis?

State: Texas

A: Excellent idea to share with your students! Your students will love seeing this animal and learning about its ways of avoiding predation. Orange Dogs will not harm anyone even though it does have a smelly odor it can emit when it feels threatened. If you take a pencil and jab it lightly a time or two, it should erect its "horns" and give out a smelly odor that they kids will love to hate! Check out our unit on this animal (if you haven't already) and you can learn a bit more about its habits. See it at www.enaturalist.org

You indicated that you live in Texas but this is a big state and your animal varies in behavior from one area to another. In the northern part of the state, they do go into a dormant period over the winter and would remain like this for several months. Animals in the southern part of the state, however, tend to be active all year round and this would effect how long a caterpillar would be in its chrysalis. So, I can't say for sure how long you could expect your animal to remain a pupa before emerging, depending on where you live. Once it pupates, I'd keep it in a cool area and monitor it daily after a few weeks to see what happens if you live in the southern part of the state. If you live in the northern part, once it pupates, you can allow it to remain dormant until warmth returns in early spring. Hope this helps.

John Wiessinger ( November 10, 2006)