'''Caterpie''' ([[List of Japanese Pokémon names|Japanese]]: '''キャタピー ''' ''Caterpie'') is a {{type|Bug}} {{OBP|Pokémon|species}} introduced in [[Generation I]].
'''Caterpie''' ([[List of Japanese Pokémon names|Japanese]]: '''キャタピー ''' ''Caterpie'') is a {{type|Bug}} {{OBP|Pokémon|species}} introduced in [[Generation I]].
It [[Evolution|evolves]] into {{p|Metapod}} starting at [[level]] 7, which evolves into {{p|Butterfree}} starting at level 10.
Caterpie [[Evolution|evolves]] into {{p|Metapod}} starting at [[level]] 7, which evolves into {{p|Butterfree}} starting at level 10.
Caterpie is a Pokémon that resembles a green caterpillar with a yellow underside and teardrop-shaped tail. There are yellow ring-shaped markings down the sides of its segmented body, which resemble its eyes and are meant to scare off predators. Its most notable characteristic is the bright red antenna (osmeterium) on its head, which releases a stench to repel predators. Despite these features and its camouflage in green foliage, Caterpie is often preyed upon by Flying-type Pokémon. Its four tiny feet are tipped with suction cups, permitting this Pokémon to scale most surfaces with minimal effort.
Caterpie is easy to capture and grows quickly, making it ideal for new Trainers. It will shed its skin many times before finally cocooning itself in thick silk. It can also spit this silk in order to entangle foes as seen in the anime. It has a voracious appetite, which drives it to eat a hundred leaves a day. It will even eat leaves bigger than itself. According to Pokémon Adventures, its favorite food is the Vermilion flower. Caterpie lives in forests.
Caterpie also appeared in I Choose You!, which is set in a different continuity from the main series. It evolved into Metapod during a battle against Pinsir and later into Butterfree after a battle against Primeape.
Other
A Caterpie appeared in The Dunsparce Deception, under the ownership of Bucky. He used it to compete in a race with Dunsparce, but it ultimately lost due to its slow speed.
A Caterpie appeared in Butterfree and Me! as a resident of Wayfarer Island. Ash befriended it after realizing it had yet to evolve, which reminded Ash of his own Caterpie. As a result, he helped Caterpie evolve into Metapod and then into Butterfree.
Multiple Caterpie appeared in Gettin' The Bugs Out, where they were residents of Azalea Gym. One Caterpie scared Misty by coming down the trees. Later on, they assisted in tying Team Rocket up with silk.
A Caterpie appeared in The Bug Stops Here, where it was chased it away by Misty after she found it talking with Togepi.
Two Caterpie appeared in Some Enchanted Sweetening!, where they were lured in by the Honey that Cheryl had slathered onto a tree. Additional Caterpie also appeared in a boss fantasy in the same episode, but said boss fantasy was cut from the dub due to it containing suggestive material.
Four Caterpie appeared in Securing the Future!, with three under the ownership of different Trainers and the fourth being wild. They joined the rest of Alola in showering Necrozma with light so it could return to its true form.
Ash's Caterpie is the second wild Pokémon that Ash captures, being caught in Pikachu, I See You!. It evolves twice in Play Misty For Me—first into Metapod while Ash is showing off his Pokémon to Misty, and then into Butterfree during his Gym battle against Misty.
Ash is not shown releasing his Butterfree in the manga, although it is not seen after Haunting My Dreams.
A Caterpie appeared in As Gastly as Before. With the help of her fishing rod and Red's Pika, Yellow saved a Caterpie from its tree, which was targeted by a Fire attack. Caterpie then followed Yellow to where she and Blue were training, next to the Rock Tunnel. It took Yellow a whole day to properly catch this Caterpie with a Poké Ball, but once she prevailed, Yellow welcomed Caterpie to her team and called it "Kitty". It then became one of Yellow's most useful Pokémon, whose string was commonly used to make floaters. However, in the battle against Lance, Yellow did not have a Pokédex, which she needed to stop her Pokémon from evolving. As a result, Kitty evolved into Metapod and then into Butterfree right afterwards.
Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Caterpie is rescued in the first mission of the game. It is too young to be of any help to the rescue team but remains a strong fan throughout the game, even in its darkest hour.
Caterpie has a voracious appetite. It can devour leaves bigger than its body right before your eyes. From its antenna, this Pokémon releases a terrifically strong odor.
Caterpie has a voracious appetite. It can devour leaves bigger than its body right before your eyes. From its antenna, this Pokémon releases a terrifically strong odor.
Due to this, it was impossible to complete a Generation I game using only Caterpie or Metapod, since Struggle couldn't hit Ghost types at the time.
In the anime and in Pokémon Adventures, Caterpie holds the record as the Pokémon who takes the least time to evolve twice, taking only one episode in the anime and one chapter in Pokémon Adventures.
Poliwag and Togepi also share this record, but in Pokémon Adventures only.
Prior to Generation VI, Caterpie's body style was .
In Ash Catches a Pokémon, when Caterpie evolves into Metapod, the process was similar to a real caterpillar going into pupation. Laterepisodes show Caterpie evolving like the rest of the Pokémon do.
Caterpie is a stylized caterpillar, most resembling an Asian swallowtail. Its "antenna" is an osmeterium, an organ unique to swallowtail caterpillars which, like Caterpie, they use to emit a foul odor. The tip of Caterpie's tail resembles the horn at the rear end of most species of hawk moth larvae.
This Pokémon article is part of Project Pokédex, a Bulbapedia project that aims to write comprehensive articles on each Pokémon species, as well as Pokémon groups and forms.
For other sprites and images, please see Caterpie images on the Bulbagarden Archives.
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