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An interesting caterpillar

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I found this in the parking area yesterday. I don't know that I've ever seen one before, and have no idea what it is. It's big - about 3" long, glossy on the back, speckled on the side, with red "horn" in back and a "shrimp" tail. The head is the small end, on the right.

[Thanks to Marian_Black, we have an ID. it does look like Hyles gallii, the Bedstraw Hawk Moth aka Galium [sic] Sphinx Moth. The description of the caterpillar in Wikipedia - taken from "The Illustrated Natural History of British Moths" (1869) says:

"The caterpillar is smooth, bluish-green above, inclining to pink beneath, sometimes brown and sometimes black, but always having a pale, almost yellow, line down the middle of the back, and a row of ten conspicuous eye-like yellow spots, on each side; the head is green, brown, or black, according to the colour of the caterpillar, but the horn above the tail is invariably red."

The relevant illustrative photo for the article ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyles_gallii#mediaviewer/File:Sphingidae_-_Hyles_gallii_(caterpillar).JPG ) shows a blue-gray head and tail; mine could conceivably be "brown", or it may be that the American version has more variations than the British version observed 150 years ago!]
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pumpkinhead

All of those eyes would surely ward off enemies. They'd keep me away!

dondi

Well, most caterpillars are a bit strange when you get a close-up look!

Marian_Black

I must say Don, it is rather a creepy looking caterpillar.

dondi

Thanks, Marian - I'm updating the description.

Marian_Black

Hi Don...google images for Galium (Bedstraw) Sphinx or Bedstraw Hawkmoth Caterpilla. These look very much like what you have posted.

Travelia

Sure looks special!!

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