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Project Noah Nature School
Halysidota schausi
This was interesting ----- I found this tussock moth caterpillar feeding on another one or what was left of the other one. According to Wikipedia, the larvae feed on Cestrum nocturnum (night-blooming jessamine). I wonder if there was the essence of the plant in the caterpillar it was feeding on? Here is a video: https://youtu.be/3Hs0FsAnMyI
Spotted on a tree along a trail through a wooded area at the National Butterfly Center in Mission, Texas.
Spotted on Nov 12, 2020
Submitted on Dec 4, 2020
18 Comments
Thanks again, everyone. This was certainly one of those special encounters that was fascinating, to say the least.
Congratulations on SOTW Brian!!
Awesome find Brian,congrats on the well deserved SOTW and thanks for sharing
Congrats!
Congratulations!
Congrats Brian!
Thanks for the kind comments everyone!
Missed this the first time Brian. Great find. Congratulations on the SOTW.
Congratulations Brian.
Congrats, Brian! Well deserved
Congratulations, Brian. This is a wonderful SOTW, and such a cool caterpillar. I love that Monday morning look!
Thank you MichaelS and PN. It's always an honor.
Hi Brian38,
Congratulations, your spotting has been voted Spotting of the Week! The Project Noah community looks forward to seeing your next nature discovery!
https://www.facebook.com/projectnoah/pho...
https://twitter.com/projectnoah/status/1...
I added a video showing this strange behavior.
Thank you Machi and PN for the nomination. Thank you, Machi for the information as well.
Also, as a side note, I do know some caterpillar species are known to eat their own exuvia after shedding it. I don't know if that is what is happening here, but it is something to look into.
Your spotting has been nominated for the Spotting of the Week. The winner will be chosen by the Project Noah Rangers based on a combination of factors including: uniqueness of the shot, status of the organism (for example, rare or endangered), quality of the information provided in the habitat and description sections. There is a subjective element, of course; the spotting with the highest number of Ranger votes is chosen. Congratulations on being nominated!
Wow!