This has definitely been a good year for finding interesting creatures. Sometimes it’s hard to tell what you’ve actually found. This looks like a character from the movie Gremlins.
From another angle it looks like the head of a Leaf-nosed Bat. The ears may be a little large, but it certainly has a bat-like appearance.
Actually, it’s a moth larva known as a Monkey Slug, the immature form of a Hag Moth. The shape supposedly resembles the shed skin of a Tarantula. I’ve not seen such a skin, but the shape of the caterpillar is distinctly spider-like.
Like other slug caterpillars, the head is concealed beneath the body. If you think of this shot as a puppy face, the caterpillar head is below the chin where it touches the leaf.
This species is not supposed to sting, so I used my finger to roll it onto its back. My finger remained undamaged throughout the operation. From this angle the caterpillar appears to be a living creature instead of patch of fungus or bit of debris.
While photographing the Monkey Slug, a swarm of small Robber Flies began using my hand as a hunting and feeding platform. They would dart out, grab a tiny fly and return to my hand to consume their meal. Fortunately I carry a back-up camera, so I was able to get some shots of the Robber Flies sitting on my regular camera hand.
It didn’t take the Robber Flies long to eat a tiny fly and rush out to grab another. I’m glad I was able to assist with the capture of their evening meal.
This has definitely been a good year for finding interesting creatures. Sometimes it’s hard to tell what you’ve actually found. This looks like a character from the movie Gremlins.
From another angle it looks like the head of a Leaf-nosed Bat. The ears may be a little large, but it certainly has a bat-like appearance.
Actually, it’s a moth larva known as a Monkey Slug, the immature form of a Hag Moth. The shape supposedly resembles the shed skin of a Tarantula. I’ve not seen such a skin, but the shape of the caterpillar is distinctly spider-like.
Like other slug caterpillars, the head is concealed beneath the body. If you think of this shot as a puppy face, the caterpillar head is below the chin where it touches the leaf.
This species is not supposed to sting, so I used my finger to roll it onto its back. My finger remained undamaged throughout the operation. From this angle the caterpillar appears to be a living creature instead of patch of fungus or bit of debris.
While photographing the Monkey Slug, a swarm of small Robber Flies began using my hand as a hunting and feeding platform. They would dart out, grab a tiny fly and return to my hand to consume their meal. Fortunately I carry a back-up camera, so I was able to get some shots of the Robber Flies sitting on my regular camera hand.
It didn’t take the Robber Flies long to eat a tiny fly and rush out to grab another. I’m glad I was able to assist with the capture of their evening meal.
