# What is this wierd bug/ worm/ larvae?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-wierd-bug-worm-larvae/457784>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [July 25, 2008, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-wierd-bug-worm-larvae/457784 "2008-07-25T21:45:28Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![SkeptiJess](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ea666f/32.png) [@SkeptiJess](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SkeptiJess)\
**Post date:** [July 25, 2008, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-wierd-bug-worm-larvae/457784/1 "2008-07-25T21:45:28Z")

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[pic 1](http://s85.photobucket.com/albums/k54/TamJamB/?action=view&current=weirdwormthing3.jpg)

[pic 2](http://s85.photobucket.com/albums/k54/TamJamB/?action=view&current=weirdwormthing2.jpg)

[pic 3](http://s85.photobucket.com/albums/k54/TamJamB/?action=view&current=weirdwormthing.jpg')

We just found this guy on our driveway. It’s not the larval form of something, is it? And if it is, what the hell is it the larval form of? The damn thing is 4 inches long!

If it dropped out of the trees, I’m never going outside again!

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**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\
**Post date:** [July 25, 2008, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-wierd-bug-worm-larvae/457784/2 "2008-07-25T22:03:21Z")

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Hickory Horned Devil caterpillar

> **[Hickory Horned Devil](http://www.shawnolson.net/a/1170/hickory_horned_devil.html)**
>
> Photos of the Regal Moth Caterpillar, also known as the Hickory Horned Devil.

This ugly duckling turns into a large and quite pretty moth - the Regal Moth

[http://cse-ferg41.unl.edu/pub/leps/index.html?page=royal-walnut](http://cse-ferg41.unl.edu/pub/leps/index.html?page=royal-walnut)

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**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\
**Post date:** [July 25, 2008, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-wierd-bug-worm-larvae/457784/3 "2008-07-25T22:06:26Z")

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He sure is ugly. I love his stupid, confused looking face.

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**Author:** ![yabob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yabob/32/2821_2.png) [@yabob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yabob)\
**Post date:** [July 25, 2008, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-wierd-bug-worm-larvae/457784/4 "2008-07-25T22:23:21Z")

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BTW, since somebody beat me to the identification, I’ll just point out that there are a few caterpillar identification sites out there. Starting out from the “knobbly” picture on this one gets you to your caterpillar pretty quick:

[http://www.whatsthiscaterpillar.co.uk/america/](http://www.whatsthiscaterpillar.co.uk/america/)

Of course, that presumes that you’ve already decided it was a caterpillar.

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**Author:** ![SkeptiJess](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ea666f/32.png) [@SkeptiJess](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SkeptiJess)\
**Post date:** [July 25, 2008, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-wierd-bug-worm-larvae/457784/5 "2008-07-25T22:29:43Z")

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Glad to know what he is. I still wonder where he came from, though. I don’t have any nut trees on my property – we found him underneath our big River Oak.