[Chipmaker]

Yesterday I was out behind the gazeebo repotting a few plants at the bench, and out of the corner of my eye I caught some movement on the ground. I turned to look and spotted a ghastly looking insect, the looks of which I have never seen in my life....

Its a caterpiller type deal, and is approx 5" long and perhaps 5/8 to 3/4" in diameter (about like a hot dog), multiple (maybe 12 segments) segmented body, totally smooth and free of any hair, with a shiney blue green color. Radiating off its back at the first 4 or 5 segments are what appears to be spines or horns, that arch forward, and are black and brown in color with barbs on them. These spines or horns are perhaps 1/2" long. There is also another set of them at the tailend. The very tip and tail is a bropwn color, and on the bottom the first 4 or 5 segments have legs with grippers or pincers on them.

I imagine its a larvae or caterpiller from some sort of moth, but sure don;t know what. It would make a great creature for starring in a sci-fi movie a its really one bad a$$ed looking critter.
If it is a moth or butterly of some sort in early stages of developement, it woulds have to come out the size of a sparrow when it metamorphises with the size it is now....

Yea, I know pictures pictures pictures.......

 

[Greg]

Chipmaker,

This site might help if someone doesn't know it right off hand. Sounds kinda creepy to me....

http://www.whatsthiscaterpillar.co.uk/america/index.htm

 

[DeereBob]

Chipmaker,
Not that I'm the resident entomologist here but looking at the caterpiller site that Greg posted, what you described is either a baby picture of Hillary Clinton or a perhaps a Saddleback Moth

 

[Greg]

I think more in the Hickory Horned Devil family..like the Royal Walnut Moth.

 

[Chipmaker]

Yep your right, I had zeroed in on the pine horned devil at first, but it was the wrong color, but looked similar. I then found a site, and even though Deerebob mentioned it could been a description of a baby picture of Hillary C., guess what.........the persons site was listed as hillaries hickory horned devil something or other......Ironic isn't it?

Anyway its totally harmless, but I still have not mustered up the courage or desire to hold it.
Image attached of like item, and mine is just as big as this one is.
Now I got to go look up what this critter eventually turns into. Its supposed to be one nice moth of large size, called the Regal Moth or Royal Walnut Moth

 

[Greg]

Chipmaker,

All ya ever wanted to know...

http://www.geocities.com/mothman15/Royal.htm

 

[Deerehunter]

Damn! you couldn't even use that thing for bait for fear of scaring the fish away.

 

[jodyand]

Thats one mean looking Caterpillarmg: Don't think i ever seen one of those.

 

[Argee]

They make great pets...gives great back scratches:furious: :lmao: :furious:

 

[memmurphy]

Looks similar to a tomato horn worm. I had a couple of them several years ago. They were stripping the foliage at an alarming rate before I found them. They seemed kind of mean. They were biting the stick I used to knock them to the ground. You can guess what happened next.:knife: Talk about a gooey mess to clean off the sole of my boot. :dazed:

Mark