# Help identifying caterpillar
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-identifying-caterpillar/598847
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [October 7, 2011, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-identifying-caterpillar/598847 "2011-10-07T01:23:53Z")
**Posts on this page:** 8
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@KRC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KRC)
#### Post date: [October 7, 2011, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-identifying-caterpillar/598847/1 "2011-10-07T01:23:53Z")
I was out with the Audubon society and we found this caterpillar:
[https://picasaweb.google.com/marysharpe4/NewMexico?authkey=Gv1sRgCP3J7sLQp8TBEg#5660551477100723218](https://picasaweb.google.com/marysharpe4/NewMexico?authkey=Gv1sRgCP3J7sLQp8TBEg#5660551477100723218)
I think it might be a mourning cloak but I would like a second opinion.
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### Author:  [@MobiusStripes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MobiusStripes)
#### Post date: [October 7, 2011, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-identifying-caterpillar/598847/2 "2011-10-07T02:01:04Z")
I’m no expert. Have you tried an ID site like the following?
[http://www.discoverlife.org/20/q?guide=Caterpillars](http://www.discoverlife.org/20/q?guide=Caterpillars)
It worked pretty well for our last few captures.
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### Author:  [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)
#### Post date: [October 7, 2011, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-identifying-caterpillar/598847/3 "2011-10-07T03:01:04Z")
It might be helpful if you could identify the plant it’s on. They tend to stay on the type of plant they eat.
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### Author:  [@Floater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Floater)
#### Post date: [October 7, 2011, 8:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-identifying-caterpillar/598847/4 "2011-10-07T08:56:17Z")
Where’s the hookah?
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### Author:  [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)
#### Post date: [October 7, 2011, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-identifying-caterpillar/598847/5 "2011-10-07T16:24:19Z")
Definitely [not a mourning cloak](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nymphalis_antiopa).
I’m not a trained entomologist or anything, and I can’t tell what it actually IS from the photo…there are any number of black-brown caterpillars with long white fuzz. A better photo of any markings would be useful, too.
Was it in the same place as the butterfly in the other photos?
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### Author:  [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)
#### Post date: [October 7, 2011, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-identifying-caterpillar/598847/6 "2011-10-07T16:40:43Z")
The butterfly in the other photo looks like a checkered skipper, and the caterpillar of that doesn’t look like your caterpillar, either, so that’s out.
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### Author:  [@Troppus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Troppus)
#### Post date: [October 7, 2011, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-identifying-caterpillar/598847/7 "2011-10-07T17:57:43Z")
Is your caterpillar a garden tiger? [Google images for Arctia caja](http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&safe=off&q=Arctia+caja&gs_sm=e&gs_upl=7975l7975l0l8590l1l1l0l0l0l0l174l174l0.1l1l0&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_cp.,cf.osb&biw=1780&bih=983&wrapid=tlif131801016639910&um=1&ie=UTF-8&tbm=isch&source=og&sa=N&tab=wi)
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### Author:  [@KRC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KRC)
#### Post date: [October 8, 2011, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-identifying-caterpillar/598847/8 "2011-10-08T02:51:44Z")
It was in a meadow full of mulleins, willows, bigtooth maples, asters, and mint plants and that was the same place I took the picture of the checkered skipper. The area was in the Manzano Mountains of central NM, if that’s any help.