caterpillars

The caterpillars of most species are herbivores, but not all; some are insectivores, some are cannibals. Some caterpillars eat other animal products; for example, clothing moths feed on wool, while horned moths feed on the hooves and horns of dead ungulates.

Caterpillars are usually voracious eaters. Many caterpillars are serious agricultural pests. In fact many moth species are better known at the caterpillar stage because of the damage they cause to fruit and other agricultural products, whereas moths are not pests. On the other hand, various species of caterpillars are very beneficial to humans. For example, as a source of silk, human food and livestock, or for biological control of pests (weeds).