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Scientific name: bombyx mori
Silkworms are caterpillars that grow up into silkmoths. They live almost entirely on mulberry leaves. The cocoon they make can be used to make silk, a very attractive cloth that has been valued for thousands of years. A silkworm cocoon is made from a single strand of silk 1000 to 3000 feet long, and it takes 2000-3000 cocoons to make a pound of silk. The caterpillar in the cocoon is not allowed to emerge by itself, as this would damage the silk. The cocoons are boiled with the caterpillar inside.