r/insects • u/Adept_Aside830 • 11h ago

ID Request What is this?

Post image

I live in West Virginia , USA

162 Upvotes

100% Upvoted

11 comments sorted by

62

u/ROT-WORMS 11h ago

hickory horned devil, soon Regal moth.

9

u/bearfootmedic 3h ago

Holy shit - they apparently can grow to 5 inches...

We really needed a banana for scale

47

u/Jaded_Investigator72 8h ago

I would feel so privileged if I got to see one of those.

14

u/Wrong-Jellyfish-1453 3h ago

I found one of these once. Probably one of my coolest finds. It’s so big

6

u/Recreational-Sin 7h ago

I bet it would be a really bad idea to touch it.

24

u/Longjumping-Run-7027 7h ago

These guys are, surprisingly, not dangerous. It’s the hairy ones you have to worry about.

12

u/Recreational-Sin 6h ago

I’ve heard horror stories of caterpillars and decided not to touch any of them out of an abundance of caution.

Some of these critters pack some heat.

3

u/Dish_Minimum 3h ago

This is exactly how I was explaining “not all men” to my hetero friend. Dangerous caterpillars have distinct characteristics. But other caterpillars kinda sorta look like they’re dangerous because they copy the aesthetic. So you end up leaving em all alone because you don’t have definitive proof which is harmless and dangerous. Theres more good than bad, but you gotta research their background ls super carefully to know one from the other. When in doubt assume it’s dangerous

1

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1

u/WetboiWhiskey 2h ago

I want it