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Caterpillar

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Spurge Hawkmoth caterpillar
by: Moni

Anonymous
This caterpillar eats leafy spurge not humans. It does not have the muscles to bite a human. It is a sphinx moth caterpillar and is not poisonous nor dangerous. Only danger is to the spurge plant it eats.
Perhaps you are thinking of some other critter?
spurge hawk moth
by: Anonymous

was wondering if they could sting or poison u or anything.i know they are realy aggresive and bite what ever comes close to them
Spurge Hawk Moth Larva
by: Moni

It is the spurge hawk moth caterpillar.
Good job, Donalda!
spurge hawk moth caterpillar
by: Donalda

Although a close up of colour pattern is hard to see from the picture I would suggest that your caterpillar is a Spurge Hawk Moth Larva. In 1965, this caterpillar was introduced from Europe to help control the invasive exotic plant, the leafy spurge. Leafy spurge is a noxious long-lived weed on the Great Plains of the United States and the Prairie Provinces of Canada. New infestations are continuously occurring.However, the impact on the plant from the larval foliage feeding appears to be minimal.
These moths can have variations in colour from yellowish to red in the strip down their back and in the spots on their sides.There appears to be a small redish horn (all hawk moths have one) on the tail in your picture. Pictures of Two Color Morphs have been posted on this page,both species from Saskatchewan,Canada.
http://www.whatsthatbug.com/2008/07/29/leafy-spurge-hawkmoth-caterpillars-two-color-morphs/
Here are some good pictures of the adult and the larva (red phase) also.
http://www.hellenot.com/data/images/1150184710magerwiesen.jpg
perhaps Moni can enlarge on this.

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