# Identify this enormous caterpillar
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identify-this-enormous-caterpillar/509010
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [September 6, 2009, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identify-this-enormous-caterpillar/509010 "2009-09-06T00:08:49Z")
**Posts on this page:** 8
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@snailboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snailboy)
#### Post date: [September 6, 2009, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identify-this-enormous-caterpillar/509010/1 "2009-09-06T00:08:49Z")
I was walking down a trail through the woods a few days ago and heard a rustling in the leaves on the ground. I looked expecting to find a rodent or similar but found this caterpillar probably getting ready to pupate. It’s by far the largest one I’ve ever seen, dwarfing the Catalpa caterpillars that are common around here. I’d like to know what he’s going to grow up to be. The only really large moths I’ve seen around here are Luna moths and - once or twice - Cecropia moths. It doesn’t look like either of their larvae. I went browsing around on bugguide.net but didn’t stumble upon anything that looked similar. Lepidoptera is a huge order. So I’m turning to you guys. By the way, there’s a small eyespot on its tail in case that isn’t obvious from these less-than-spectacular pictures.
[Picture 1](http://img524.imageshack.us/img524/8325/caterpillar1.jpg)
[Picture 2](http://img513.imageshack.us/img513/3594/caterpillar2.jpg)
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### Author:  [@booklover](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/booklover)
#### Post date: [September 6, 2009, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identify-this-enormous-caterpillar/509010/2 "2009-09-06T16:56:21Z")
Perhaps a [pandorus sphinx caterpillar](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Eumorpha_pandorusPCSL13915B.jpg)?
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### Author:  [@snailboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snailboy)
#### Post date: [September 7, 2009, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identify-this-enormous-caterpillar/509010/3 "2009-09-07T01:16:11Z")
That certainly looks like it. I’m not going to rule out the Achemon Sphinx of the same genus either. That narrows it down enough to make me happy. I find it odd that that moth looks about the same size as the Catalpa Sphinx but the caterpillar is - as I said - about twice the size. I guess you can’t judge a moth by its caterpillar.
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### Author:  [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)
#### Post date: [September 7, 2009, 7:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identify-this-enormous-caterpillar/509010/4 "2009-09-07T07:12:44Z")
That’s not exactly “enormous.”
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### Author:  [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)
#### Post date: [September 7, 2009, 8:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identify-this-enormous-caterpillar/509010/5 "2009-09-07T08:32:17Z")
> [@snailboy](#):
>
> I guess you can’t judge a moth by its caterpillar.
Book title!
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### Author:  [@Wallenstein](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wallenstein)
#### Post date: [September 7, 2009, 12:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identify-this-enormous-caterpillar/509010/6 "2009-09-07T12:56:57Z")
> [@panache45](#):
>
> That’s not exactly “enormous.”
Just wait until he’s started on the piece of chocolate cake (and ice-cream cone and pickle and salami and lolipop …)
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### Author:  [@snailboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snailboy)
#### Post date: [September 8, 2009, 12:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identify-this-enormous-caterpillar/509010/7 "2009-09-08T12:54:53Z")
> [@panache45](#):
>
> That’s not exactly “enormous.”
He was twice as large as any caterpillar I’ve ever seen. I’d call that enormous.
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### Author:  [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)
#### Post date: [September 8, 2009, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identify-this-enormous-caterpillar/509010/8 "2009-09-08T17:04:04Z")
> [@snailboy](#):
>
> He was twice as large as any caterpillar I’ve ever seen. I’d call that enormous.
But you’ve skipped right over large, giant, huge, etc. To me, an enormous caterpillar is one capable of eating a small cottage.