# What might have created this cocoon?

**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-might-have-created-this-cocoon/648572
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [January 28, 2013, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-might-have-created-this-cocoon/648572 "2013-01-28T01:12:12Z")
**Posts on this page:** 6
**Page:** 1

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### Author: ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)
#### Post date: [January 28, 2013, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-might-have-created-this-cocoon/648572/1 "2013-01-28T01:12:12Z")

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Assuming it is a cocoon.  
[One view](http://s294.photobucket.com/albums/mm119/badger60/?action=view&current=bag1.jpg)  
[Another view](http://s294.photobucket.com/albums/mm119/badger60/?action=view&current=bag2a.jpg)  
Not so great quality,but I just had a crappy camera phone. It was about 1½ inches top to bottom. You can just barely see that it was anchored against a leaf. Central South Carolina. No idea on how long it had been there.

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### Author: ![Troppus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a587f6/32.png) [@Troppus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Troppus)
#### Post date: [January 28, 2013, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-might-have-created-this-cocoon/648572/2 "2013-01-28T01:17:47Z")

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One of the silk moths: Atlas, Cecropia, Luna

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### Author: ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)
#### Post date: [January 28, 2013, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-might-have-created-this-cocoon/648572/3 "2013-01-28T01:26:38Z")

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Cool. Thanks.

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### Author: ![Troppus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a587f6/32.png) [@Troppus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Troppus)
#### Post date: [January 28, 2013, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-might-have-created-this-cocoon/648572/4 "2013-01-28T01:26:44Z")

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Or Io. How big is the cocoon? And on/around what species of tree? The caterpillars usually stay on or close to host plants, the type of vegetarian could narrow it down. Unless it’s a mulberry; all the silk moths dig mulberry leaves.

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### Author: ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)
#### Post date: [January 28, 2013, 1:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-might-have-created-this-cocoon/648572/5 "2013-01-28T01:43:28Z")

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Maybe 1½ - 2 inches long. Maybe 3/4 inch wide. Might have been an oak sapling. It was a sapling whatever it was.

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### Author: ![Magicicada](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c67d28/32.png) [@Magicicada](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magicicada)
#### Post date: [January 28, 2013, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-might-have-created-this-cocoon/648572/6 "2013-01-28T01:54:19Z")

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Was I the only one who clicked the photo without reading the 1 1/2 inches and thought, “Oh my God, Mothra!”?