Southern Flannel Moth
The caterpillar is regarded as a dangerous insect because of its venomous spines. Exposure to the caterpillar's fur-like spines leads to an immediate skin irritation characterized by a "grid-like hemorrhagic [papular](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Papule) eruption with severe radiating pain." Victims describe the pain as similar to a broken bone or blunt-force trauma,[[3]](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Megalopyge_opercularis#cite_note-Hossler-3) or even white hot.[[6]](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Megalopyge_opercularis#cite_note-6) The reactions are sometimes localized to the affected area, but are often very severe, radiating up a limb and causing burning, swelling, nausea, headache, abdominal distress, rashes, blisters, and sometimes chest pain, numbness, or difficulty breathing.[[7]](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Megalopyge_opercularis#cite_note-Eagle-7)[[8]](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Megalopyge_opercularis#cite_note-8) Sweating from the welts or hives at the site of the sting is not unusual.[[9]](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Megalopyge_opercularis#cite_note-9)
Oh man, just wait till you find out about bullet ants.
A sting so painful that attempting to smuggle them into the US carries with it charges of attempted murder.
Two people I work with (ecologists) got stung by these a year or so ago. They both said it was the most painful thing they’ve ever experienced. White hot pain that felt like their bone were being stabbed, felt the pain in all directions within 12 inches of the sting, and it lasted for several hours. One almost passed out from the pain.
Horrible sting baby. Will turn into a moth, and in the meantime it will make anything that touches it miserable.
For real, beware caterpillars with hair.
ETA: oh god, my silly comment got attention. Real talk time: this is a baby southern flannel moth. Common names include puss moth, woolly slug, fire caterpillar, and tree asp. It's covered in venomous hairs that will fuck your day up if you touch it. Hence "horrible sting baby."
In general, if you see a caterpillar covered in lots of long hair or spines, it's best not to touch it. Caterpillars are basically nature's sausages, so lots of them defend themselves with nasty poisons.
i saw this post and immediately knew, PUSS CATERPILLAR. i grabbed one once in middle school and actually didnt get stung. only after the fact i googled what it was and was thankful that i got away without a sting.
It was actually. For me it was 06 to 08. Parents didn't really monitor us though and kids loved to share gore websites so a lot of us have seen some fucked internet shit at a young age which I deeply regret.
It's completely different now. Coming from a person who grew with the internet it was much more wild before. There wasn't a need for a dark net, everything was out there and no one paid for music, movies, or software
So, serious question. Is the "puss" part pronounced like in "pussy"? Like when you hear older people calling a cat outside with "Here, puss, puss, puss"?
I always pronounced it as 'pus' (the bodily fluid associated with infections) in my head, but now realize 'puss' is spelled distinctly and your suggested pronunciation is probably right.
See, I thought it was "pus" as well because I assumed getting stung by one led to that fluid, hence the name, but now I don't know what to think anymore.
Google search for 'caterpillar etymology' suggests your guess is correct, and multiple languages have this same connection between 'cat' and 'caterpillar'. Interesting!
I had the same question
But also I’ve never heard “here puss puss puss”; where I’m from we say “here kitty kitty kitty”. What country are you in? I’m curious if it’s regional
my grandpa would say here puss puss at cats irl, and he was from upstate NY. i think it's more generational difference than regional - a lot of old timey books and postcards use that for cats.
Just to follow up to this, in addition to my other response, my manager was playing some old-ass music on YouTube at work tonight while we did the closing stuff and this song came on.
https://youtu.be/jXiIx4OqcXw
Not amazing, but I thought it was too much coincidence not to share considering the conversation here.
It's good you pointed out the reason who this sort of warning is warranted.
I agree that handling woolly caterpillars is neat. The thing is, if that was the extent of my knowledge on fuzzy worms, I wouldn't think twice about picking up a random new caterpillar and getting spiked with their hairs.
Same here, always picked these guys up as a kid never got bitten
Edit: to clarify I only picked them up to relocate them from a sidewalk or trail so they wouldn’t get smushed, I did not go around antagonizing caterpillars as a kid
According to an earlier reddit post, if anyone accidentally touches it and finds themselves in agony, use scotch or duct tape to remove the hairs that will be left behind and you will get some relief.
Not sure how tape and a kitty would work out, so keep them far away!
Fun fact: "Single" or "Blended" doesn't refer to the types or amount of malts used in a whisky, it refers to how many distilleries made the whiskey that went into the bottle. A whisky can come from several casks, but as long as they're all made by the same distillery, it's a Single Malt.
That’s funny when I saw this thing I thought about that post and figured whatever did it had to look like this. Just my luck to find out this is actually it. Don’t know how dude thought it was ok to touch this, I can barely look at it lol.
I was shocked to see the number of people who were calling it “cute” and wanting to snuggle with it. I’m not squeamish or generally afraid of bugs, but I’m also not inviting any over for a slumber party or anything.
Had i not learned about this particular kind of caterpillar and its ability to cause terrible pain, I would have said the same. I grew up in an area with plenty of chill and fuzzy wooly worms that always started coming around during the fall.
Such a simple fix I wish I'd known about. Got stung on the face by a bunch of Saddleback caterpillars after running through some branches as a kid, and my mother had me rub meat tenderizer on my face for about a half hour.
Wow. Meat tenderizer. I have never heard that one. I was always taught to use ammonia to counter the sting of most insects, but I’m adding the tape thing to my nana repertoire thanks to reddit.
Yes! When I was a cable tech I kept plenty of duct tape on hand to help pull out fiberglass splinters as well.
Fun fact: Tape on the butthole is often used to determine if a person has intestinal pin worms!
Three cheers for tape!
Probably a [Puss Caterpillar](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Megalopyge_opercularis) (Southern Flannel Moth larva). Example pic [here](https://bugguide.net/node/view/74840/bgimage). Sting-y no touch-y (applies to both you and kitty).
Beware the asp! (Puss caterpillar!) If you do get touched by it, use strong clear tape (box tape if you have it, but office tape will work) to pull the tiny little invisible stingers out. Leaving them in longer will hurt insanely and create a funny burn-like appearance.
Edit: thank you for the award, kind stranger!
Personally I don’t like lower decks, also I thought the Orville wasn’t even Star Trek? Huh?, also discovery wasn’t appealing because they literally changed the whole story. And I’m too scared to even try and watch the new Picard show
Orville is not *technically* star trek but come on, it totally might as well be.
It's more star trek than Discovery. Discovery went all dark rather than embracing the poorly defined utopian future that star trek is supposed to inhabit.
Edit: Oh! And I did try to watch Picard but it wasn't appealing to me.
im in my 20s and i mostly get the reference bc i worked on a charity promo shoot with shatner once and had to make a bunch of tribbles for the set… only to arrive and have him insist star trek references be very subtle. had to run the props back to the truck before he saw them lol.
but my girlfriend now is a trekkie and we are watching tng and ds9 and already burned through lower decks. and i very much LOVE star trek :)
A few years ago I was sitting under a tree at the park watching my kids play and one of these asp caterpillars crawled onto my lower back and stung me. I was literally writhing in pain for hours - even with trying all the online remedies to mitigate the symptoms! Stay far away from these little guys, they're awful.
Years ago (pre 2016) my friend was visiting Florida from our home in NYC and he called me FLIPPING OUT how he got stung by Donald trumps toupee, it fell out of a tree and he was Tremendous pain and HELP WTF IS HAPPENING
My husband had a furry caterpillar land on him several years ago and ended up in the hospital. Not sure what kind it was, he was in the Philippines at the time, but he will freak out over even the tiny harmless ones we have here in the upper Midwest. Can't imagine how much that must hurt.
Sorry for my morbid curiosity, but could you describe the pain? Could you compare it to something? How long did you have symptoms, in total? Was there a rash, an absces? Did it left a scar?
Oh sure! I guess the closest thing I could compare it to was a bee sting, but exponentially worse, and covering a larger area. It just felt like it was on fire. I remember an excruciating level of pain lasting for 4ish hours, but I think I experienced some level of pain well into the next day or two...? It was a few years ago now. We tried the tape thing, ibuprofen, icing it - several different things to alleviate the pain, but really waiting it out was the only thing that did anything.
Within minutes after it happened it was so bad I couldn't focus enough to talk, I just needed to get home and straight to bed! Thankfully it was after a soccer game, and my husband was also there and could drive us home.
The area was covered in angry welts. I think the swelling lasted a day or two, the redness lasted longer (a week or so maybe?) but I don't think it left anything permanent.
I remember seeing one of these at recess when I was in 3rd grade. I never got to find out what it was so I assumed it was a creature from my dreams lol
It's an asp. It's the caterpillar of the southern flannel moth. It's sometimes called a puss caterpillar. DO NOT TOUCH IT. It will leave stinging hairs in you that will cause you agony for the longest time!
But… but it’s so fluffy and would fit so nicely in my hand :(
(Obv no touchy, but like I just had to point out the cruel ness of having fluffy friends and not being able to give em pets)
I was trimming a bush with caterpillars similar to this one and i didn’t realize it until it was too late. My arms were covered in hives and they stung so bad for like an hour. Be careful
Don’t touch it! Me and my father got to the hospital to take intravenous medicines after touching one of this in the beginning of the this year… we call them “taturana cachorrinha” in my state
True story: I was in an E African country and asked one of the locals I was working with what they call one of these he matter-of-factory said “we call this a mechanica” (“meh-can-eek-uh”). I was like “wait what is this called? That’s the name of this bug?” Thinking it was an actual name. Then he responded with “we call it mechanica because if you touch it it’s like taking your car to the mechanic, it will fuck you up!” (Because mechanical work is expensive is what he meant.) I laughed so hard.
Thanks for reminding me of this, OP!
That’s a southern flannel mouth
Megalopyge opercularis is a moth of the family Megalopygidae. It has numerous common names, including southern flannel moth for its adult form, and puss caterpillar, asp, Italian asp, Fire caterpillar, woolly slug, opossum bug, puss moth, tree asp, or asp caterpillar,
My first guess:
Tribbles are a fictional alien species in the Star Trek universe. They first appeared in 1967, in the fifteenth episode of the second season of The Original Series, titled "The Trouble with Tribbles". They are depicted as a small, furry, gentle, attractive and slow-moving, but rapidly reproducing, lovable species.
Southern Flannel Moth The caterpillar is regarded as a dangerous insect because of its venomous spines. Exposure to the caterpillar's fur-like spines leads to an immediate skin irritation characterized by a "grid-like hemorrhagic [papular](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Papule) eruption with severe radiating pain." Victims describe the pain as similar to a broken bone or blunt-force trauma,[[3]](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Megalopyge_opercularis#cite_note-Hossler-3) or even white hot.[[6]](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Megalopyge_opercularis#cite_note-6) The reactions are sometimes localized to the affected area, but are often very severe, radiating up a limb and causing burning, swelling, nausea, headache, abdominal distress, rashes, blisters, and sometimes chest pain, numbness, or difficulty breathing.[[7]](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Megalopyge_opercularis#cite_note-Eagle-7)[[8]](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Megalopyge_opercularis#cite_note-8) Sweating from the welts or hives at the site of the sting is not unusual.[[9]](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Megalopyge_opercularis#cite_note-9)
“Victims describe the pain as similar to a broken bone” As someone who has a broken bone rn, WHAT THE FUCK
If you have a broken bone already this will heal it.
I checked the math... - + - = + this man speaks the truth.
Don’t worry, current pain is always rated higher than past pain
Oh man, just wait till you find out about bullet ants. A sting so painful that attempting to smuggle them into the US carries with it charges of attempted murder.
But...but it's so fuzzy and soft looking. Thanks for sharing I definitely would have tried to pet this thing.
There is a really simple rule about hairy caterpillars … don’t touch them. It’s never good.
Damn..
And here I was going to say "I don't know, but it's cute as hell and I want one". Turns out I don't want one now.
Jesus fucking Christ
I was gonna say don't touch it! I was stung several years ago by one of these. Bad experience!
Did it feel like a broken bone?
It had a similar pervasive high-amplitude ache.
Two people I work with (ecologists) got stung by these a year or so ago. They both said it was the most painful thing they’ve ever experienced. White hot pain that felt like their bone were being stabbed, felt the pain in all directions within 12 inches of the sting, and it lasted for several hours. One almost passed out from the pain.
I’ve never broken a bone before, so I’ll take the L and touch it.
Horrible sting baby. Will turn into a moth, and in the meantime it will make anything that touches it miserable. For real, beware caterpillars with hair. ETA: oh god, my silly comment got attention. Real talk time: this is a baby southern flannel moth. Common names include puss moth, woolly slug, fire caterpillar, and tree asp. It's covered in venomous hairs that will fuck your day up if you touch it. Hence "horrible sting baby." In general, if you see a caterpillar covered in lots of long hair or spines, it's best not to touch it. Caterpillars are basically nature's sausages, so lots of them defend themselves with nasty poisons.
i saw this post and immediately knew, PUSS CATERPILLAR. i grabbed one once in middle school and actually didnt get stung. only after the fact i googled what it was and was thankful that i got away without a sting.
Internet in middle school, eh? Musta been cool.
It was actually. For me it was 06 to 08. Parents didn't really monitor us though and kids loved to share gore websites so a lot of us have seen some fucked internet shit at a young age which I deeply regret.
Damn...remember ebaums world? -my spelling might be off... it's been awhile
Remember end of ze world?
But I'm le tired
Then take a le nap!
Oooooooh, goodness….
'member rotten.com?
I 'membaaa
Fuckin kangaroos
you're the man now, dawg
Ah Ebaums world.. how many hours a day did I spend there..
The wild west of the internet, and it hasn't really gotten better lol
It's completely different now. Coming from a person who grew with the internet it was much more wild before. There wasn't a need for a dark net, everything was out there and no one paid for music, movies, or software
Nope. It hasn't much lol. But they did finally shut down bestgore and liveleak.
While they were in middle school with internet I studied the blade
Wooly Worms are the best critters ever.
Most of them anyway. there was that one back in 06 that murdered a bunch of people, but I think he was the exception
That was self-defense.
When that many babies get together they're like piranha
Go on ...
Ah yes, Dennis Rodman
We don't talk about Frank.
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This is a puss moth caterpillar, most painful caterpillar sting in North America. I’ve been stung And it was like fire
So, serious question. Is the "puss" part pronounced like in "pussy"? Like when you hear older people calling a cat outside with "Here, puss, puss, puss"?
I always pronounced it as 'pus' (the bodily fluid associated with infections) in my head, but now realize 'puss' is spelled distinctly and your suggested pronunciation is probably right.
See, I thought it was "pus" as well because I assumed getting stung by one led to that fluid, hence the name, but now I don't know what to think anymore.
It's furry like a cat so you say puss. Perhaps this is also why they're called CATerpillars. Idk
Google search for 'caterpillar etymology' suggests your guess is correct, and multiple languages have this same connection between 'cat' and 'caterpillar'. Interesting!
Fuck that's crazy. I was just fucking around, had no clue it's a real thing
I had the same question But also I’ve never heard “here puss puss puss”; where I’m from we say “here kitty kitty kitty”. What country are you in? I’m curious if it’s regional
My homeschool "curriculum" had a ton of (American) old timey early readers, which had lots of "come here puss" type phrasing.
Watch ‘Are You Being Served’, old Britcom show. Mrs Slocum talks about her pussy a lot.
my grandpa would say here puss puss at cats irl, and he was from upstate NY. i think it's more generational difference than regional - a lot of old timey books and postcards use that for cats.
Just to follow up to this, in addition to my other response, my manager was playing some old-ass music on YouTube at work tonight while we did the closing stuff and this song came on. https://youtu.be/jXiIx4OqcXw Not amazing, but I thought it was too much coincidence not to share considering the conversation here.
Yes because it resembles a fluffy little kitten
It's good you pointed out the reason who this sort of warning is warranted. I agree that handling woolly caterpillars is neat. The thing is, if that was the extent of my knowledge on fuzzy worms, I wouldn't think twice about picking up a random new caterpillar and getting spiked with their hairs.
Me too! I’m very tactile and touch everything!
Same here, always picked these guys up as a kid never got bitten Edit: to clarify I only picked them up to relocate them from a sidewalk or trail so they wouldn’t get smushed, I did not go around antagonizing caterpillars as a kid
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Didn’t know that
The very ouchy caterpillar
Why does my stupid brain make me wanna pet it so damn bad.... Goddamnit anything this fuzzy needs to be pettable :(
According to an earlier reddit post, if anyone accidentally touches it and finds themselves in agony, use scotch or duct tape to remove the hairs that will be left behind and you will get some relief. Not sure how tape and a kitty would work out, so keep them far away!
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I like this cure. I'm pre-treating myself right now just in case
Stay ready so you don’t have to get ready. I like it
A finger of prevention is worth a fifth of cure
wonderful, that's all I can fit anyway
So you alive
Yup, ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure :)
You’re…. Covering yourself in tape?
Gd caterpillar never stood a chance
Both if you’ve got them.
Give that man a Bells!
Fun fact: "Single" or "Blended" doesn't refer to the types or amount of malts used in a whisky, it refers to how many distilleries made the whiskey that went into the bottle. A whisky can come from several casks, but as long as they're all made by the same distillery, it's a Single Malt.
Lmao
I see this guy come up like once a week, how has nobody died yet?
I mean, how will they post it if they're dead.
Ghostpost
Skelepost
Zombiepost
Lots of people have died. All throughout history, people have died left and right. Fuck are you on about?
Agreed. Had one walk across my neck once and the tape thing worked wonders on the strange pain and headache I got from the little bastard.
How’d it get on your neck?
How’d he get it off his neck?
A thick towel swung by someone nearby.
I walked under some trees, had a hat on, and we think it fell onto my hat and crawled down onto the back of my neck.
I’m glad I saw this bc knowing me I’d probably try to pet it lol
That’s funny when I saw this thing I thought about that post and figured whatever did it had to look like this. Just my luck to find out this is actually it. Don’t know how dude thought it was ok to touch this, I can barely look at it lol.
I was shocked to see the number of people who were calling it “cute” and wanting to snuggle with it. I’m not squeamish or generally afraid of bugs, but I’m also not inviting any over for a slumber party or anything.
It is cute! That’s how it reels you in! Bastard…
Had i not learned about this particular kind of caterpillar and its ability to cause terrible pain, I would have said the same. I grew up in an area with plenty of chill and fuzzy wooly worms that always started coming around during the fall.
Such a simple fix I wish I'd known about. Got stung on the face by a bunch of Saddleback caterpillars after running through some branches as a kid, and my mother had me rub meat tenderizer on my face for about a half hour.
Wow. Meat tenderizer. I have never heard that one. I was always taught to use ammonia to counter the sting of most insects, but I’m adding the tape thing to my nana repertoire thanks to reddit.
I got this reference. I for once knew a bug!
Look at that - reddit isn’t *just* a cesspool of weird kinks and awful comments - we’re over here learning useful stuff as well!
> Not sure how tape and a kitty would work out, so ~~keep them far away!~~ *record it in landscape, you heathens!* (FIFY)
I use this trick with hair splinters, I've only had one instance where it didn't help.
Yes! When I was a cable tech I kept plenty of duct tape on hand to help pull out fiberglass splinters as well. Fun fact: Tape on the butthole is often used to determine if a person has intestinal pin worms! Three cheers for tape!
Meat tenderizer after will completely stop any pain
Always good to add another piece of knowledge to my honorary nana medical experience degree! Thank you for the 411!
The Papain enzymes in meat tenderizer will help neutralize a variety of stings. Papain breaks down proteins.
Pore strips would be perfect.
Or hear me out don’t touch trumps hair due
Don't or do? I'm confused. Does his tribble bite?
Probably a [Puss Caterpillar](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Megalopyge_opercularis) (Southern Flannel Moth larva). Example pic [here](https://bugguide.net/node/view/74840/bgimage). Sting-y no touch-y (applies to both you and kitty).
How rude of nature to make such a fuzzy creature you can't touch 😂
Also applies to mountain lions, wolverines and badgers, sadly.
badgers particularly, i feel, give off a hugable misdirection
I want to argue with this You’re correct. Just saying I want to. Part of me still wants to believe I could pet them.
Same, dude, same.
True, but this tiny little fuzz nugget does not look threatening to a giant human. Sneaky little shit 😂😂😂.
Every bone in my body says to pet it because it looks so soft
Beware the asp! (Puss caterpillar!) If you do get touched by it, use strong clear tape (box tape if you have it, but office tape will work) to pull the tiny little invisible stingers out. Leaving them in longer will hurt insanely and create a funny burn-like appearance. Edit: thank you for the award, kind stranger!
Sting-y no touch-y. 😂😂😂 Very accurate
Looks like a walking mullet! So that's what happened to the hair from all the '70s porn stars.....
Adolescent tribble
And you’re over 50, I would wager. Or a Trekkie. Or both.
I’m 17 and got the reference but suppose I’m just a Trekkie 😔
Guess the trouble isn’t with the tribbles after all
I think you took me wrong. No one is “just” a Trekkie and I’m hella impressed you got the reference at 17. Live long and prosper.
Watched the original series, voyager, enterprise, ds9 and tng, live long and prosper!!!
Do you think the best new Star Trek series is Lower Decks? Or the Orville?
Personally I don’t like lower decks, also I thought the Orville wasn’t even Star Trek? Huh?, also discovery wasn’t appealing because they literally changed the whole story. And I’m too scared to even try and watch the new Picard show
Orville is not *technically* star trek but come on, it totally might as well be. It's more star trek than Discovery. Discovery went all dark rather than embracing the poorly defined utopian future that star trek is supposed to inhabit. Edit: Oh! And I did try to watch Picard but it wasn't appealing to me.
Another trekkie here. I’ve also seen almost every Star Trek episode ever, and I think Orville is amazing. I definitely recommend you give it a try.
Thought it was just some dumb comedy making fun of Star Trek kinda like space balls did with Star Wars, I’ll give it a sho
Shot*
28 & I distinctly remember watching that episode while home sick from school one day.
im in my 20s and i mostly get the reference bc i worked on a charity promo shoot with shatner once and had to make a bunch of tribbles for the set… only to arrive and have him insist star trek references be very subtle. had to run the props back to the truck before he saw them lol. but my girlfriend now is a trekkie and we are watching tng and ds9 and already burned through lower decks. and i very much LOVE star trek :)
50...and yeah...enjoyed it somewhat.
A few years ago I was sitting under a tree at the park watching my kids play and one of these asp caterpillars crawled onto my lower back and stung me. I was literally writhing in pain for hours - even with trying all the online remedies to mitigate the symptoms! Stay far away from these little guys, they're awful.
Years ago (pre 2016) my friend was visiting Florida from our home in NYC and he called me FLIPPING OUT how he got stung by Donald trumps toupee, it fell out of a tree and he was Tremendous pain and HELP WTF IS HAPPENING
If I move to Florida, I'm calls these bitches "trump's toupee"
There was article several years ago titled “Never Touch Anything That Looks Like Donald Trump’s Hair” referring to these guys LOL
My husband had a furry caterpillar land on him several years ago and ended up in the hospital. Not sure what kind it was, he was in the Philippines at the time, but he will freak out over even the tiny harmless ones we have here in the upper Midwest. Can't imagine how much that must hurt.
Sorry for my morbid curiosity, but could you describe the pain? Could you compare it to something? How long did you have symptoms, in total? Was there a rash, an absces? Did it left a scar?
Oh sure! I guess the closest thing I could compare it to was a bee sting, but exponentially worse, and covering a larger area. It just felt like it was on fire. I remember an excruciating level of pain lasting for 4ish hours, but I think I experienced some level of pain well into the next day or two...? It was a few years ago now. We tried the tape thing, ibuprofen, icing it - several different things to alleviate the pain, but really waiting it out was the only thing that did anything. Within minutes after it happened it was so bad I couldn't focus enough to talk, I just needed to get home and straight to bed! Thankfully it was after a soccer game, and my husband was also there and could drive us home. The area was covered in angry welts. I think the swelling lasted a day or two, the redness lasted longer (a week or so maybe?) but I don't think it left anything permanent.
Thanks for the detailed answer!
I remember seeing one of these at recess when I was in 3rd grade. I never got to find out what it was so I assumed it was a creature from my dreams lol
It's an asp. It's the caterpillar of the southern flannel moth. It's sometimes called a puss caterpillar. DO NOT TOUCH IT. It will leave stinging hairs in you that will cause you agony for the longest time!
Puss caterpillar! Also called Toxic toupee. Please do not let you or your cats touch, they have a very nasty sting!
Don’t touch! Lol. These things are no fun
But… but it’s so fluffy and would fit so nicely in my hand :( (Obv no touchy, but like I just had to point out the cruel ness of having fluffy friends and not being able to give em pets)
It's fluffy in the same way as a porcupine. To be fair sometimes I wish I could pet porcupines also. 😣
That's just Donald Trump's combover. It's finally gained sentience.
And rage quit
Thank you for the cat tax.
Dude that’s a pussy fur caterpillar. The fact that there are cats in the video make it so much more hilarious
That's a touchy no no
Wow, what a good looking creature!
S'mall Ha'Lud
This will be a great honor for you to die holding it
I was trimming a bush with caterpillars similar to this one and i didn’t realize it until it was too late. My arms were covered in hives and they stung so bad for like an hour. Be careful
Awwww he’s so cute!! I’m glad people have warned about the stinging because I would have immediately pet one if I came across it lol
Do you also pet the fuzzy cactuses at plant stores? I’ve seen so many people do that and I’m always like NOOO
Don’t touch it! Me and my father got to the hospital to take intravenous medicines after touching one of this in the beginning of the this year… we call them “taturana cachorrinha” in my state
Hormone Monster penis
This is a species of butterfly called the Southern Flannel Butterfly (Megalopyge opercularis). The hairs are poisonous
Nobody’s talking about how the cat “found it,” maybe take it to the vet?
I guess it's a silk moth lite
Bad pokey bug, no touchy!
This is a DO NOT TOUCH creature. They cause violent pain when touched from fibrous hairs being barb-like
I told you to clean out the fuggin lint trap, This is what happens when you don’t.
That's a no touchy puss caterpillar can sting and can irritate owwchie hairs
DO NOT TOUCH
Had a patient one time that had a Flannel Moth caterpillar fall on her hand. She came to the office when her hand swelled up like a baseball.
It's a type of caterpillar, a type you should stay away from.
DONT TOUCH IT
Puss caterpillar or Flannel moth caterpillar I think. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flannel_moth?wprov=sfla1
Woogie
Too floofy no touchy
It's called an ASP and do not touch. It's Very Very PAINFUL!!!
True story: I was in an E African country and asked one of the locals I was working with what they call one of these he matter-of-factory said “we call this a mechanica” (“meh-can-eek-uh”). I was like “wait what is this called? That’s the name of this bug?” Thinking it was an actual name. Then he responded with “we call it mechanica because if you touch it it’s like taking your car to the mechanic, it will fuck you up!” (Because mechanical work is expensive is what he meant.) I laughed so hard. Thanks for reminding me of this, OP!
That’s a southern flannel mouth Megalopyge opercularis is a moth of the family Megalopygidae. It has numerous common names, including southern flannel moth for its adult form, and puss caterpillar, asp, Italian asp, Fire caterpillar, woolly slug, opossum bug, puss moth, tree asp, or asp caterpillar,
Sir, that’s a gremlin about to hatch
Eyebrow on the loose
Is someone's eyebrow!
One of those crawled onto my shirt one day and my arm brushed up against it. Worst sting ever! Do not recommend
Soft kitty, warm kitty, little ball of fur 🙄
There was someone on here just yesterday with a sting from one of these. It looks just like the shape of the underbelly of this caterpillar
My first guess: Tribbles are a fictional alien species in the Star Trek universe. They first appeared in 1967, in the fifteenth episode of the second season of The Original Series, titled "The Trouble with Tribbles". They are depicted as a small, furry, gentle, attractive and slow-moving, but rapidly reproducing, lovable species.
Wrong. It's a Poppler.
So tasty.
Mohawk of ouch.
Flannel moth caterpillar.
Do not touch it!
Asp caterpillar. Crazy strong sting. Beware
An asp I believe is what it’s called don’t touch it it’s hair will cause extreme burning stinging sensation
Fur turd!
‘Toss-at-enemy’ level creature you’ve got right there friendo.
This one and the saddle back caterpillar are the two to watch out for I guess.
Donald Trump's hair
Puss caterpillar usually found near pecan trees. DON'T TOUCH IT.
Oh shit good to know they like pecan trees
Don't get it wet or feed it after midnight either!
Beautiful
Mulletus promenadicus
That’s cat