Science Activities

Caterpillar Tracks

by

Diane L. Smith and Alan F. Smith -Tucson, Arizona

You may wish to develop activities that answer questions about caterpillar locomotion. A simple method for recording the direction and speed of movement is "Worm Tracks". All you need is a cooperative caterpillar, a large sheet of paper or cardboard, and a crayon or marker. Just place the caterpillar on the paper and trace the Manduca's path on the paper by following its hind end with the crayon. It's as simple as that!

A few ideas

Have several students work on one sheet of paper (simultaneously or successively) with different colored markers. How do the patterns compare? This might produce an interesting bulletin board display.
1. Have students trace the walking for the same amount of time. Determine the length of each track by laying a string over the pattern and cutting to size. Since the times are the same, the length of each string is a representation of speed – the longer the string, the faster the caterpillar. When all the strings are hung from a horizontal line, comparisons will be easier to make. This should also illustrate the idea of variability within a group of individuals.
2. What affects the direction and speed of caterpillars? Your students can probably generate a series of experiments involving factors such as developmental stage (e.g.prewandering vs.wandering), size, temperature, age, and light.

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