Cocoons are soft and spun from silk by the moth larvae, whereas a chrysalis is hard but smooth and is molted from the caterpillar like a shell.
Ultimately they serve the same function as a protective structure during their metamorphosis, when they are at their most vulnerable to predators and weather.
I’ve heard both words and thought they meant the same thing, what’s the difference?
Cocoons are soft and spun from silk by the moth larvae, whereas a chrysalis is hard but smooth and is molted from the caterpillar like a shell.
Ultimately they serve the same function as a protective structure during their metamorphosis, when they are at their most vulnerable to predators and weather.