Saddleback Caterpillar: Beautiful Camouflage and Painful Sting

The Saddleback caterpillar has a striking appearance with a bright green body and a brown saddle. Horns point upward on either end. Spines on the horns and other hairs secrete painful venom.

I’ve brushed my leg against a Saddleback and can attest to the discomfort. Upon stinging, the spines can become lodged in the skin which causes more venom to be released and additional irritation. Loose spines can be left on surfaces or be inhaled posing further hazards.

I photographed this specimen on a Japanese maple tree. The caterpillar’s movements were slow, but deliberate. It's about 1 inch long. The Saddleback’s host plant list is lengthy.

This caterpillar is classified as a slug caterpillar because it does not have prolegs and moves in a sluglike manner. [Prolegs are fleshy protuberances that aid with motion in other caterpillars.] It is the larvae of a brown moth called the Saddleback Caterpillar Moth.

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