Interesting picture

[Botar]

My son caught this a few weeks back. We were going to see what kind of moth/butterfly it would turn into, but it pupated and escaped without us ever getting to see it. Any ideas on what it might have been?

Botar

 

[Malhavoc's]

omg luv those eyes! lol
that pictures not edited in anyway is it

 

[theninegates]

Something in the Xylophanes genus maybe. That's a crazy caterpillar man.

http://www.silkmoths.bizland.com/xterster.htm

 

[GQ.]

Papilio glaucus, the Eastern Tiger Swallowtail butterfly is my best guess. Excellent picture!

Here is a link to another nice photo of a P. glaucus caterpillar for comparison. http://www.enature.com/fieldguide/s...pID=2&habitat=1007&curPageNum=7&recnum=BU0637

 

[theninegates]

I think I found your suspect.

Tiger Swallowtail Caterpillar
(07/07/2004)

It is the caterpillar of a Tiger Swallowtail, Papilio glaucus. This is a large, graceful yellow and black striped butterfly. The caterpillar is fond of wild cherry and other trees. Those false eyes are meant to scare hungry birds into thinking the benign caterpillar is a ferocious snake.

 

[theninegates]

Papilio glaucus pics

 

[MilkmanWes]

Dam shame you didn't get to see it after it pupated. Those are some of the best looking butterflies IMO. And they get impressivly large.

 

[Botar]

Thanks guys... I knew you'd come through.

Botar

 

[JohnxII]

Oh I saw those in some documentary! They even have these retractable appendices that simulate a snake's tongue...

 

[Botar]

Oh I saw those in some documentary! They even have these retractable appendices that simulate a snake's tongue...

Yes, but I wasn't able to get a picture of it. Kind of like a hognose snake or a rattlesnake, they quit doing it after it fails to get the reaction they want. That freaked my wife out.

Botar

 

[Vanan]

Oh I saw those in some documentary! They even have these retractable appendices that simulate a snake's tongue...

Now I know fer sure I wasn't tripping when I saw those back in Singapore as a kid. That "tongue" had me freaked!