What is in Mexican Jumping Beans that makes them jump?
They’re magic. No, we kid. Actually, they’re caterpillars. At least that’s what we found out from ToySource.com. It seems that’s there is a specific bush that grows in Mexico that a certain butterfly larva likes to burrow into while it’s doing its whole larva-caterpillar-butterfly metamorphosis thingamajig. So what you’re seeing when a jumping bean jumps is actually a caterpillar squirming around inside a seed. Read all about it at the site, it’s really quite interesting. For more on butterflies and their life cycles, visit A Students’ Guide to Butterflies.
