All right, so this thing was on my shirt...

[SilverWolf]

That scared me so much. I hope I never see that in real life.

 

[n8ture]

I'd love to see that in real life!

 

[Barry_Green]

It's pretty small, I mean it was only like an inch long. But apparently the poison in its spines can really, really do a number on you!

 

[Antoine_Fabi]

Barry,

Things like that are "beautifull" only at television...

Is it dangerous or "only" painfull ?

 

[Barry_Green]

Apparently just painful.

And he was really cool-looking. He looked like Donald Trump's hair.

 

[Antoine_Fabi]

yeah...

that's the sad thing...it looks cool so kids may want to play with this little puppy.

 

[Larry Rutledge]

Based on this description I hope I never come across one of these:

The spines, hidden among the hairs, are hollow, and release a toxin of unknown chemical composition that produces a skin lesion. The lesion usually begins as a halo of reddened skin surrounding the sting site. This is soon followed by the appearance of a number of small cysts that gradually develop into a matrix of blood-filled lesions where the mass of spines punctured the skin.

the caterpillar does not have to be alive to "sting" you. The hollow spines, filled with toxin, will continue to cause painful stings hours long after the insect has been killed.

 

[Justin Marx]

Awww.. I want one..

 

[Jim Carswell]

So very, very cool. Hey Barry, by the way, here's a question you've never heard before... what were camera settings for those shots.
Jim

 

[j8jweb]

that's one of the weirdest things I've ever seen. I like this description:

These caterpillars have been called by several names, including puss caterpillar, wooly worms, wooly slugs, opossum bugs, tree asps, and, in Mexico, el perrito (little dog).

... that's exactly what I thought - that it looked just like a dog. Glad you didn't get stung!

 

[Neil Rowe]

ha ha. i would not like that thing on me.. its like a darn mogwai.. just waiting to hit some water ..then all hell breaks loose.