--- title: "Silkworm (Bombyx mori) | AnimalTracks.wiki" description: "A caterpillar that grows thousands of times heavier in a month, then wraps itself in one silk thread up to 1,800 metres long." image: "https://animaltracks.wiki/images/animals/silkworm-1.webp" published: "2026-10-11" updated: "2026-10-11" --- # Silkworm (*Bombyx mori*) > **Status**: Checked against 5 sources, listed under Sources below. > **Tagline**: A caterpillar that grows thousands of times heavier in a month, then wraps itself in one silk thread up to 1,800 metres long. > **Soundtrack Vibe**: Dream Pop & Shoegaze // My Bloody Valentine, "Only Shallow" > **Soundtrack Links**: [Spotify](https://open.spotify.com/track/1KKuoYESWoUGsau6YYoEMl) > **Vibe Match**: In the farmhouses around Rovereto, the noise of silkworm jaws grew into a continuous, deep rumble that made the whole house vibrate. Only Shallow builds the same kind of roar, stacking guitar layers until they blur into one wall of sound. ## Biological Superpowers & Stats - **Taxonomy**: *Bombyx mori* - **Danger Level**: Low - **Conservation Status**: Not Evaluated ([IUCN Red List](https://www.iucnredlist.org/)) - **Superpower**: Spins a single silk thread up to 1,800 metres long - **Habitat**: Reared by people for silk; no longer found in the wild - **Diet**: Mulberry leaves as a larva; the adult moth does not feed - **Tags**: insect, herbivore ## Natural History & Behavior ## Built to grow, built to spin A silkworm is the caterpillar of the silk moth *Bombyx mori*. It starts tiny. A newly hatched larva (the caterpillar stage) is dark, about 3 millimetres long and weighs about half a milligram. On the figures of the silk museum display in Rovereto, Italy, it reaches 9 cm and 4 grams in about a month, growing 30 times longer. Strains differ: in a 2022 rearing study in northern Iraq, final-stage larvae averaged 5.25 grams. The growth comes in stages separated by moults, also known as sleeps. The larva feeds on mulberry leaves. In the farmhouse kitchens around Rovereto where silkworms were once raised, the noise of their jaws just before they climbed to spin grew into a continuous, deep rumble that made the whole house vibrate. ## One thread, 1,800 metres long Silk comes from two glands beneath the larva's mouth. After four moults, the larva's torpor gives way to a period of agitation known as "fury", and it tries to climb to find a support on which to attach its cocoon. The cocoon is made from a single, highly resistant thread that can be as long as 1,800 metres. In three or four days the larva has completely wrapped itself in silk and turns into a chrysalis. Cocoons in the Iraq study weighed 1.7 to 2.5 grams each. > **Silk upgrade** > Genetically engineered silkworms carrying both silkworm and spider silk proteins spun fibres tougher than normal silkworm silk and as tough as the dragline silk spiders make, according to a 2012 report from the University of Notre Dame. ## A species with no wild left *Bombyx mori* originated in east central Asia and no longer exists in a wild state. It was domesticated from its wild ancestor, *Bombyx mandarina*, about 5,000 years ago. The Iraq study set out to revive rearing there after three decades without it, using silkworms imported from a sericulture centre in Bursa, Turkey. Compared with its wild ancestor, the domestic silk moth has lost the ability to fly. Its whole life cycle is complete in approximately 45 days. The adult moth does not feed, and its only duty is to ensure the conservation of the species. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### What is silk made of? Silk is made of two very fine filaments of a protein called fibroin, which does not dissolve in water. A sticky coat of another protein, sericin, covers both strands. *(Source: [Fondazione Museo Civico di Rovereto]())* ### How long does the adult silk moth live? In a 2022 rearing study in northern Iraq, adult males lived an average of 115 hours and adult females 135.5 hours. *(Source: [Mohammed & Ayoub 2022]())* ### Could a silkworm survive in the wild? A genome study calls the domestic silkworm a completely domesticated insect that is entirely dependent on humans for survival. *(Source: [Tong et al. 2022]())* ### What do silkworms eat? The larva feeds exclusively on mulberry leaves. The adult moth does not feed at all. *(Source: [Fondazione Museo Civico di Rovereto]())* ## Sources 1. [The silkworm (Display board 5, C'era una volta un filo di seta). Fondazione Museo Civico di Rovereto.]() 2. [Mohammed & Ayoub (2022). Biology and Behavior of Mulberry Silkworm (Bombyx mori) in Northern Iraq. ISPEC Journal of Agricultural Sciences, FAO AGRIS record.]() 3. [Bombyx mori. Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan.]() 4. [Tong et al. (2022). High-resolution silkworm pan-genome provides genetic insights into artificial selection and ecological adaptation. Nature Communications.]() 5. [Hybrid silkworms spin stronger spider silk. University of Notre Dame College of Science.]() *Published October 11, 2026. 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