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How the Woolly Bear Caterpillar Turns into a Popsicle to Survive the Winter

Science Quickly

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The Spiky Little Caterpillar Jacket

Caterpillars use antifreeze to keep their cells from freezing. They also move water out of their cells so that it freezes in the extracellular space. Those hairs are thought to have evolved as a way to protect the caterpillar against predators, and maybe parasitoids who want to lay their eggs inside the caterpillar's body.

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