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Monarch Caterpillar Hatching

Monarch caterpillar hatching

The egg changes color from yellow to dark gray.

When the egg is dark gray, you can see the Monarch caterpillar's black head inside the egg.

The caterpillar chews a hole in the eggshell and crawls slowly out.

The first thing the Monarch caterpillar eats is its own egg!

This is another very close up picture.

Photographs courtesy of Harlen E. and Altus Aschen, Victoria Christian School, in Victoria, Texas (VCS Monarch Observations)