Bug of the Day: Megalopyge opercularis
02Aug06
This post has nothing to do with physics, Stanford, or Berkeley. However, I wanted to share it anyway. I ran into this video on Youtube:
It is a clip of a “Puss Caterpillar,” the larvae of a Flannel Moth Megalopyge opercularis. Apparently it’s poisonous and in Mexico it’s called el perrito (tiny dog). Other specimins look a little like tribbles.
I feel a little guilty, so I’ll make a couple of obligatory Stanford/Berkeley references:
- If this caterpillar were at Stanford, it would have black fur. (That’s a squirrel reference for those who aren’t familiar with Stanford fauna.)
- If this caterpillar were at Berkeley, it would be on Shattuck with a cardboard sign asking for money.
My artists renditions of these caterpillars if they attended either Stanford or Berkeley:
Filed under: Just for Fun | 4 Comments
Flip Tomato
I'm a postgraduate, expatriate physics student. RSS Feed.
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An American Physics Student in England 
i bet you it screams when stepped upon. lol ….cool stuff never heard about it. keep it up
oh my goodness. i am not a fan of bugs that could eat small children if they felt so inclined … it’s as big as a catalogue of dodgy arnie quotes
One of these bastards bit my daughter who is doing graduate studies in forestry restoration at LSU. She got nailed while measuring a tree. It was and is very painful with swelling and inflamation. Warning, do not touch these things, very nasty.
wow i just caught one of these today and i think they are pretty amazing .. i touched it and everything and i didnt get stung.. i didn’t know it was the most poisonous caterpillar in the u.s. but when i found out i was like what? it looks tight with its fur i cant wait to see it grow into the one in the video :D:D but now that i know im pretty sure im not gonna touch it :DD