Ready to go do some bouldering, I grab my sweatshirt and notice the collar is weirdly deformed. I rip it open and suddenly, right after thinking "wtf is a gummy bear doing here", I feel immense joy and pride overwhelming me...

[image loading]

This young fella must have dropped down on me in the forest yesterday and it felt too comfortable, I assume? I took the pic, packed it back together and put it back in my wardrobe.

The question now is how do I best keep it comfy? The sweatshirt was somewhat wet when I returned yesterday, so now I'm afraid he won't like it anymore. TL please help me save my family

N.geNuity

United States5112 Posts

June 29 2013 12:07 GMT

its surprisingly hard to identify caterpillars online wtf

MarklarMarklarr

Fiji226 Posts

June 29 2013 12:14 GMT

peanut oil in frying pan, throw it in for a minute or two

salt and pepper

you are good to go

zdfgucker

China594 Posts

June 29 2013 12:21 GMT

I don't want to discourage you, Brian, really. Is your name Brian? I'll just call you Brian. I'm gonna be real honest with you, that baby is one ugly mofo. Were you drunk when you decided having a baby would be a good idea? That might help if the mother ever asks for child support.

Paljas

Germany6926 Posts

June 29 2013 12:31 GMT

maybe you should but it back to the forest.

when they are this old, you just have to let them go.

Stratos

Czech Republic6104 Posts

June 29 2013 12:48 GMT

On June 29 2013 21:31 Paljas wrote:
maybe you should but it back to the forest.

when they are this old, you just have to let them go.

I'm considering that, too. But there's the fact that it started doing its silk thing and based on a pic like this: + Show Spoiler +

..it might as well be pretty much all it's got in store (and apparently some caterpillars stop eating altogether at a certain point in time). Also, if I'm returning it I'd like to find out what type of caterpillar it is first to find a nice spot for it. So it might not be that simple :s

sGs.FroZen

United States38 Posts

June 29 2013 13:21 GMT

Put it in water and see if it can swim.

Saechiis

Netherlands4989 Posts

June 29 2013 13:30 GMT

Teach him to Tackle.

N.geNuity

United States5112 Posts

June 29 2013 13:33 GMT

well when caterpillars stray away to the edge of plants or tree and shit they are looking for a spot for their pupa stage (according to some googling of something I think is the caterpillar, but no species named or anything), so if he is also spinning he may think it's time to become an adult

they grow up so fast

Stratos

Czech Republic6104 Posts

June 29 2013 13:58 GMT

#10

I've been observing it from afar and it started moving again recently so it's certainly up to something. I can't tell if it's spinning again but it hasn't moved an inch from its original position yet. I don't want to disturb it but I'll be keeping an eye on it. Maybe it just feels threatened and it'll try to escape later, in which case I'd be taking it 'home', but I don't think intends to find a new spot now that it's started.

LaNague

Germany9118 Posts

June 29 2013 14:28 GMT

#11

are you sure it doesnt need to feed anymore?
you dont want it to starve to death.

OmniEulogy

Canada6595 Posts

June 29 2013 14:40 GMT

#12

I'd probably just put some leafs next to it or something lol no clue what to do but it looks cool

LaNague

Germany9118 Posts

June 29 2013 15:44 GMT

#13

most of them eat only one type of leaf.

Incze

Romania2058 Posts

June 29 2013 15:52 GMT

#14

Wow, it's so green
It looks fluorescent in that pic

Stratos

Czech Republic6104 Posts

June 29 2013 16:57 GMT

#15

On June 29 2013 23:28 LaNague wrote:
are you sure it doesnt need to feed anymore?
you dont want it to starve to death.

I haven't asked, but it still hasn't moved an inch from the spot. I don't know how their behaviour works but I'd expect any insect (aside from perhaps a social insect unit separated from its colony) to at least start moving in any direction if they felt the need to feed more. Even if it doesn't have any appropriate signals coming from any side, I'd still expect that, but I might be wrong..

I'm thinking it's either really keen on 1. protecting itself by staying under the radar or 2. it just doesn't want to feed.
It isn't hurt at all at least as far as I'm able to tell.

If they only eat one type of leaf and I dump it in the wrong part of the forest it might as well be the final blow. The look of the forest I drive through changes quite rapidly like every 200 metres -_-

Thinking about it though, there is a part of the forest that is particularly green (and yeah this guy really looks bright green like that). It's made of little birch trees and I drive an animal track through there so it's also the most likely place it could've dropped on me. I guess I'll let it stay the night and if it doesn't do anything about the place it found (like re-attach itself to the silk), I'll try to take it there tomorrow and see what it thinks.

In the meanwhile, I'm searching for birch caterpillars
-o- parenting is hard, holy shit.

Eufouria

United Kingdom4425 Posts

June 29 2013 18:51 GMT

#16

I googled lime green catapiller and found links to other people trying to get similar catapillers ID'd it looks like it might be a Speckled Green Fruitworm caterpillar or an angle shades caterpillar, which are both types of moth.

I guess you should just try and put it in a jar with some leaves, maybe some from the forest you were in and see if it eats, and if it doesn't maybe it's gonna spin a cocoon.

sGs.FroZen

United States38 Posts

June 29 2013 19:42 GMT

#17

What does it taste like?

slained

Canada966 Posts

June 29 2013 21:14 GMT

#18

I remember when I was little I found a lime green caterpillar on my shoulder, I thought the same thing, oh thats not a gummy worm. Then I proceeded to swat the caterpillar with my hand, and yell mommy.

Race is Terran

United States382 Posts

July 01 2013 05:42 GMT

#19

i hate all things with more then 4 legs...spiders/insects/bees/flys/ for all you know that green little pile of goo could become a moth and eat all ur clothing. Careful man you are treading on dangerous fire

Stratos

Czech Republic6104 Posts

July 01 2013 06:45 GMT

#20

Well that'd probably take a while.

Meanwhile I brought it various leaves from the forest but it hasn't eaten. It's been spinning a little again to close the gap and over this night its body started turning brown, which means it's either dying or starting its cocoon (according to various sites at least). When I was checking on it, it moved rapidly so at least it's not dead already.