It was just starting to rain when some fellow photographers and I encountered a very strange-looking caterpillar. I couldn’t believe my eyes and was immediately reminded of the dogs in my neighborhood that sometimes wear colorful raincoats in inclement weather.
It turns out that this is a Saddleback caterpillar (Sibine stimulea), the larva of a type of moth. Once you get past the green “saddle,” it’s hard to miss all of the spines, which happen to be venomous. According to Wikepedia, stings by this caterpillar can cause swelling, nausea, and leave a rash that can last for days. Yikes! If I had known that in advance, I might not have leaned in to get a close-up shot of the head, though fortunately my 180mm macro lens allowed me to stay at a safe distance.
I can safely say that this is the most bizarre caterpillar I have ever seen. It’s hard to imagine that I can possibly encounter anything stranger than this, but my local marsh continues to surprise and amaze me.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved
Mike Powell 
Very strange.
wow! this is amazing
Reality can be pretty strange.
Definitely a no-touch! Hard to believe this isn’t from the tropics with all those spiny projections.
Wow that’s amazing! ! I’ve never seen a catapilla look like this and your photos are brilliant!
Thanks. I too had never seen one like that (and didn’t realize what it was until I got home and looked it up on the internet). Glad you liked the photos.
That is the strangest caterpillar that I’ve ever seen. I’ve read that there are several different caterpillars with poisonous hairs, so I don’t touch them anymore.
I think that this one is in a category sometimes called stinging caterpillars–irritating, but not deadly.
Great shot.
Totally awesome super cool caterpillar!! What a great find, Mike! I’ve never seen anything like it.
Very cool. Almost looks like it could be ridden. I wonder if it bucks?
Hoe completely wonderful!