This furry caterpillar looks REMARKABLY like Donald Trump's hair

[ailsagirl]

I know-- this isn't new but I'm fascinated by this critter that looks like cheato's hair (only much nattier).



Does anyone know how large this caterpillar is? Apparently it's very rare and has a nasty sting. How appropriate.

Article here:

http://www.businessinsider.com/donald-trump-caterpillar-2016-9

[ailsagirl]

1. Paradon me while I KICK this

[AmericanActivist]

2. So that is what it is. I wondered as well.

It looks huge for a caterpillar.

[ailsagirl]

4. Doesn't it? And a poisonous one at that.

yikes

[canetoad]

3. Here ya go.

I jogged to the library and looked it up

The inch-long larva is generously coated in long, luxuriant hair-like setae, making it resemble a tiny Persian cat, the characteristic that presumably gave it the name "puss". It is variable in color, from downy grayish white to golden brown to dark charcoal gray. It often has a streak of bright orange running longitudinally. The "fur" on early-stage larvae is sometimes extremely curly, giving the larva a cottony, puffed-up look. The body tapers to a tail that extends well beyond the body, unlike its relative M. crispata.[2] The middle instar has a more disheveled, "bad-hair-day" appearance, without a distinctive tail. The "fur" of the larva contains venomous spines that cause extremely painful reactions in human skin upon contact. The adult moth is covered in long fur in colors ranging from dull orange to lemon yellow, with hairy legs and fuzzy black feet.

[ailsagirl]

5. Wow-- thank you

I honestly had no idea caterpillars could 1) be poisonous and 2) could look like cheato's hair

And three-- be so YUGE!! (From the snippet I posted, I'd guess it's a foot long)

[tblue37]

6. That excerpt says inch long, not foot long. nt

[ailsagirl]

7. Thanks

Last edited Wed Oct 5, 2016, 10:51 PM - Edit history (2)

I read that the larva was an inch long but wasn't sure if that meant the caterpillar was also an inch long. I am not familiar with these kinds of things-- at least, not Peruvian caterpillars!

[baldguy]

8. Of course it's poisonous.

[Buns_of_Fire]

13. ...long fur in colors ranging from dull orange to lemon yellow...

...with hairy legs and fuzzy black feet.

Come to think of it, I don't think anyone's ever seen trump's feet. What's he hiding? Americans deserve to know if they're being asked to vote for an insect. (Not that insects are all that bad, I just pictured trump more the cockroach type.)

[Cakes488]

9. Except the caterpillar is cute

[ailsagirl]

10. Right-- even though it STINGS with these tentacle-like appendages

Instead of being furry and tactile, these caterpillars actually cause burning and irritation with their urticating hairs, which act like tiny hypodermic needles.

[Mariana]

11. I don't think they're all that rare.

I would see them when I lived in Texas. One year there was a population explosion, they were everywhere for weeks, thousands of them. They were getting in the house, too, we had to wear shoes inside in case we stepped on one. I had a young daughter who thought they were cute and wanted to pet them. Fun times.

[ailsagirl]

12. I read they were rare and found only in Peru-- evidently not so

Yes, I see they're found in Texas-- yikes-- that's scary about your daughter wanting to pet them!

Anyway, at least I know what they are now-- and that they STING