Thanks to you and Hank Green, I finally know what it was I saw almost 50 years ago! An enormous caterpillar I have thought about almost every day since: Thanks!
Hank sent me here from his vlog about the Hickory Horned Devil. I'm impressed with the problem solving done so footage could be captured, and I subscribed so I look forward to seeing what other fascinating content comes next!
Here from Hank Green's latest video and can I just say that those caterpillars are extremely satisfying to watch eat. Something about just how methodical they are is just relaxing.
What were you feeding him in this video? When I was a small child in the 1960s I found one in our suburban yard in Manassas, Virginia, not near any woods. I was not frightened at all and wanted to keep it to see it morph into whatever it would become. My entire family was entranced and in awe...he was a giant! The problem was that I could not figure out what it wanted to eat. I put every kind of leaf and branch from our yard which I could find to entice it into eating, but it wouldn't eat. After 2 days I was afraid it would starve so I let it go to find a meal. An hour later my dad came home from work and told me he had found out it was a Hickory Horned Devil and they liked to eat sassafras leaves. Hmmm. Not sure if they do. I suspect he had been eating the lilac or our neighbor's sycamore leaves which I had not tempted him with. Alas, I never saw him again!
Gigi Gewgaw - I would also like to know. Based on what little I could see of the leaves my guess was either Sycamore or Sweet gum. I've also seen other TH-camrs feeding them walnut leaves. And its entirely possibly that the Caterpillar is named the Hickory Horned Devil because its often found eating Hickory leaves?
If the caterpillar was found on the ground there is a good chance that it was looking for a spot to dig and form a cocoon like a Luna moth, Sphinx moth and hawk moth
I’ve never seen any animal people talk about these guys!! They’re the biggest caterpillars in North America and the coolest looking. Lucky enough to see a live one when I was about 10. But thanks for this vid!
John, you know I was on the edge of my chair waiting to hear the pupating of this creature, smiling, learned so much. Raising monarchs & swallowtails here in Palm City, FL.
Great video! I've encountered the moth twice while night hiking in upstate SC - both times in August, I think. Absolutely massive. I'm not a huge fan of things of massive insects flying towards me (it was attracted to my flashlight, of course) but next time I see one I'll try to get over my skittishness and look at it up close.
Oh!! I LOVE this!! I especially love watching the big guy eat in fast motion! Trey keeps telling me I need to come out and see you and I am CONVINCED that he is correct! I told him that he needs to go with me and sing the Water Buffalo song, though! ;-) I hope to see you soon - one of these days, but not when it's TOO, TOO hot!
There was one of those HUGE hickory horned devils! At my sleep away summer camp, it was on a tree and every day we looked at it. This was very interesting to watch and learn more about the caterpillar!
They are rarer here in pennsylvania and are fond of hickory as per the name, yours are feeding on sweet gum a tree that is in Pennsylvania but not as common as in the delaware and maryland areas where the moths are more common. I hunt them using large white plastic sheets under food trees usually in late july early august, that is when their (POOP) is the biggest and gives them away, even when you find the evidence looking up in a large hickory tree is a daunting task to find them. They burrow in the ground and the lighter ground freezing down south gives lower mortality rates to the pupae. Moths are not as large as you would think comming from such a giant catterpillar.
I'm 65 years old and live in upper east Tennessee. Never in my life have I ever seen one of these until yesterday. I had went to my 86 year old moms for a visit. We were in her back yard looking at her flowers when she noticed something had been eating her lilac bush leaves. She started looking and said what in the world. Biggest Caterpillar I've ever seen. In a way it was creepy looking and in a way in was amazing. Its huge eyes and big horns. It was longer than my finger and just amazing. I looked it up on google to see what it was my mom wanted me to kill it but no way. I put on gloves, put it in a jar and took it to a wooded area and let it go. Enjoyed seeing this so much. I have some wonderful pictures.
A week ago my husband brought one in the house for me to see. At first I was a bit scared of it, so big. After looking it up, I saw it was harmless, and special. Put it back on the tree. I have a pretty big monarch butterfly garden, and lots of species visit for pollen. This guy was on a Sumac tree. I subbed to your channel, liked your content.
Great video! The only thing missing - and this is a minor matter - would be to see a picture of them as an adult (i.e. a moth). It's so fascinating how different they are as caterpillars and moths, and no resemblance.
I found the first one of the year yesterday. Great info about the feeding pattern... I will look for this on the sweetgum trees in my area and hopefully find more.
Hey Butterfly Farmer. I'm 64 years old and I've lived my entire life in southeast Mississippi. I saw these hickory horned devils in abundance when I was a kid but now I never see any. Are they becoming more scarce?
Love the video! If you don’t mind me asking, what steps did you take to become a lepidopterist/zoologist? I’m a senior in high school and I’m very interested in the field!
There are not a lot of formal educational routs in this field. I would recommend trying to find a butterfly farm you could intern with for a few months. Nothing can replace first hand working with the bugs!!!
Southern NA, Around and slightly north of Texas. They're rarely found south of the Mexican border or north of Nebraska. I wish I could get one but I live in Canada. :(
It is a Regal Moth. Here is a link to some pictures: www.google.com/search?q=citheronia+regalis&rlz=1C1PRFI_enUS722US728&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjlsKOh5sThAhWanoMKHTJ9A_UQ_AUIDigB&biw=1680&bih=939
What an amazing creature! Dnt no the name(scientific + generic) but in Manipur india, we have this giant caterpillars as big as a toe and 4-5 inch long blueish color and have white powdery substance covering it partially, lives on guava trees. It has same horn formation but white, not as long as this though
Best part is these caterpillars who eat plant leaves help plant spread its seeds when they become butterfly. Humans should learn how even the smallest insect give back what they taken from nature.
Are their eating habits purely due to convenience or could it be because they’re so heavy they might break the leaf petiole if they climbed out on it and end up falling away from their food source?
My sister would grab the harry black caterpillars and suck on them till they were just hair. Sounds nasty but she was 3 years old when we first found out. Those harry black caterpillars hairs would sting..and she wouldn't mind the pain or didn't feel it or idk but just brought that memory back watching this video.
Sure did! Only from the for-arm down, maybe its me..possibly allergic??.. Said caterpillar was quit smaller, identical color, much smaller horns with a slightly brighter orange..
Where in the world are they found ???? I wanna go fund one for my display at home ........a 5000 gallon tank, with a mini jungle inside.......it would be very at home there, this animal would be awesome to have!!!!!
They are found in the eastern United States, but can be pretty hard to find. They only stay as a caterpillar for about 6 weeks, so it would not really be a good choice to keep in a tank.
They live over most of the eastern United States. However, they are quite hard to find and very rarely seen. Here is a link to pictures of the adult moth: www.google.com/search?hl=en&authuser=0&rlz=1C1PRFI_enUS722US728&tbm=isch&q=regalis+moth&chips=q:regalis+moth,online_chips:regal+moth&usg=AI4_-kRI5t8Qu_hA7-Uhij3GJYScP9nB8Q&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjEobKywbPhAhUQGKwKHTh6BVQQ4lYILCgD&biw=1680&bih=939&dpr=1
Came here after watching Hank Green's video. This all is so interesting!!
Me too.
Jairus Kersey yep.
I'm glad you came over! Hank is a great guy!!
Hank Green sent me here, this is channel is fantastic!. One thing though - that was not nearly enough footage of them eating! I need more!
I am glad you came over! I am going to work on more footage:-)
Thanks to you and Hank Green, I finally know what it was I saw almost 50 years ago! An enormous caterpillar I have thought about almost every day since: Thanks!
That's a neat story!
The energy this guy exudes while talking about insects is awesome 😄
Thank, I am glad it shows!!!
Hank sent me here from his vlog about the Hickory Horned Devil. I'm impressed with the problem solving done so footage could be captured, and I subscribed so I look forward to seeing what other fascinating content comes next!
Thank you! I hope to have more coming soon.
I could've sat watching that caterpillar for hours eating in time lapse!
Hank brought me here! Never thought I would be terrified of a caterpillar lol
Here from Hank Green's latest video and can I just say that those caterpillars are extremely satisfying to watch eat. Something about just how methodical they are is just relaxing.
What were you feeding him in this video? When I was a small child in the 1960s I found one in our suburban yard in Manassas, Virginia, not near any woods. I was not frightened at all and wanted to keep it to see it morph into whatever it would become. My entire family was entranced and in awe...he was a giant! The problem was that I could not figure out what it wanted to eat. I put every kind of leaf and branch from our yard which I could find to entice it into eating, but it wouldn't eat. After 2 days I was afraid it would starve so I let it go to find a meal. An hour later my dad came home from work and told me he had found out it was a Hickory Horned Devil and they liked to eat sassafras leaves. Hmmm. Not sure if they do. I suspect he had been eating the lilac or our neighbor's sycamore leaves which I had not tempted him with. Alas, I never saw him again!
Gigi Gewgaw - I would also like to know. Based on what little I could see of the leaves my guess was either Sycamore or Sweet gum. I've also seen other TH-camrs feeding them walnut leaves. And its entirely possibly that the Caterpillar is named the Hickory Horned Devil because its often found eating Hickory leaves?
@@__-pl3jg you are correct, I raised these guys on Sweetgum. Walnut is another favorite.
If the caterpillar was found on the ground there is a good chance that it was looking for a spot to dig and form a cocoon like a Luna moth, Sphinx moth and hawk moth
Yes! Butterflies and Moths!! My favourite two insects!!
These Caterpillars are so COOL!!!!
Caterpillars are so cute!! I would totally hold this little guy!
I’ve never seen any animal people talk about these guys!! They’re the biggest caterpillars in North America and the coolest looking. Lucky enough to see a live one when I was about 10. But thanks for this vid!
You are lucky! Not many people get to see one up close.
Yes. With this, my collection of insect based YT channels grows. Also this is amazing!
Thanks!
Are you enjoying the Vlogbrother's bump.😎 Why only 6 videos? You make great content. I'd like to see more.
Thanks! I am working on more for this summer.
You should do a luna moth video
Amazing & magical!
That's too cool, wow!
Here from Smarter every day. I love Hickory Horned Devils! Found one in my yard years ago. More videos please!!! :)
Thank you! I am glad you made it over, and I hope to get a new back of videos out soon.
Thanks, Hank. And of course, John, the butterfly farmer.
You are more an welcome. Thanks for watching!!
John, you know I was on the edge of my chair waiting to hear the pupating of this creature, smiling, learned so much. Raising monarchs & swallowtails here in Palm City, FL.
Came here from vlogbrothers. Instant subscribe.
Thanks!
Those caterpillars are huge. I'm intrigued.
Awesome video sir, thanks
You are more than welcome. Thanks for watching!!
what an absolute unit
Great video! I've encountered the moth twice while night hiking in upstate SC - both times in August, I think. Absolutely massive.
I'm not a huge fan of things of massive insects flying towards me (it was attracted to my flashlight, of course) but next time I see one I'll try to get over my skittishness and look at it up close.
You should definitely give them a chance!! The adult moths are also completely harmless;-)
Oh!! I LOVE this!! I especially love watching the big guy eat in fast motion! Trey keeps telling me I need to come out and see you and I am CONVINCED that he is correct! I told him that he needs to go with me and sing the Water Buffalo song, though! ;-) I hope to see you soon - one of these days, but not when it's TOO, TOO hot!
Amazing🐛thanks🦋
Thanks!
My name is Fred brown I live in Webster FL. My grandchildren font one in our yard.
Hank Green's vid brought me here too. Your video is amazing!
Thank you!
Great video!
There was one of those HUGE hickory horned devils! At my sleep away summer camp, it was on a tree and every day we looked at it. This was very interesting to watch and learn more about the caterpillar!
Came here after finding one in the wild today he was HUGE!!! This is so so cool
Look at the absolute size of those lads! They’re absolute units!
They are rarer here in pennsylvania and are fond of hickory as per the name, yours are feeding on sweet gum a tree that is in Pennsylvania but not as common as in the delaware and maryland areas where the moths are more common. I hunt them using large white plastic sheets under food trees usually in late july early august, that is when their (POOP) is the biggest and gives them away, even when you find the evidence looking up in a large hickory tree is a daunting task to find them. They burrow in the ground and the lighter ground freezing down south gives lower mortality rates to the pupae. Moths are not as large as you would think comming from such a giant catterpillar.
Using a white sheet is a neat idea!
That's cool! That's how I find caterpillars a lot of times too.
I FOUND ONE!!!! I have it NOW!!!! It’s SOO beautiful!!!
THESE ARE SO CUTE!!!
I've only seen one of these. It was very impressive to say the least.
That they are!
awesome huge and beautiful!
Dislikes? Really?
Hank Green sent me here too.. 😝😝
I used to find them all the time in NJ. They’re fascinating
I'm 65 years old and live in upper east Tennessee. Never in my life have I ever seen one of these until yesterday. I had went to my 86 year old moms for a visit. We were in her back yard looking at her flowers when she noticed something had been eating her lilac bush leaves. She started looking and said what in the world. Biggest Caterpillar I've ever seen. In a way it was creepy looking and in a way in was amazing. Its huge eyes and big horns. It was longer than my finger and just amazing. I looked it up on google to see what it was my mom wanted me to kill it but no way. I put on gloves, put it in a jar and took it to a wooded area and let it go. Enjoyed seeing this so much. I have some wonderful pictures.
Awesome
A week ago my husband brought one in the house for me to see. At first I was a bit scared of it, so big. After looking it up, I saw it was harmless, and special. Put it back on the tree. I have a pretty big monarch butterfly garden, and lots of species visit for pollen. This guy was on a Sumac tree. I subbed to your channel, liked your content.
Why doesn't this guy have more views and subs
uteki that’s what I’m confused about
hank green just promoted him on the vlogbrothers channel, so he's about to blow up
Wow that's really neat thank you
I am glad you enjoyed it!
Subcriber from vlogbrothers!
Thanks!
Great video! The only thing missing - and this is a minor matter - would be to see a picture of them as an adult (i.e. a moth). It's so fascinating how different they are as caterpillars and moths, and no resemblance.
That would have been a nice addition. I will remember that for future videos!
I found the first one of the year yesterday. Great info about the feeding pattern... I will look for this on the sweetgum trees in my area and hopefully find more.
Good luck! I have found that Sweetgum and Black Walnut seem to be their favorite host plants.
Came here after watchng Hank Green;s video too. Curious to see the moth they turn it to and are they the same size?
Hey Butterfly Farmer. I'm 64 years old and I've lived my entire life in southeast Mississippi. I saw these hickory horned devils in abundance when I was a kid but now I never see any. Are they becoming more scarce?
I prefer dis caterpillar than the other with hair.
Just came from vlog brothers video
I am glad you made it!
Very cool video! Thanks for sharing.
thats cool, I have found a few
Thank you so very much for sharing that. Was wondering where they live and what they look like as a moth. Was a pleasure and I am now a subscriber
You are more than welcome. They are native to the eastern U.S..
my 8 year old wants to know how they can eat so much & not gain a bunch of weight. love the videos!
They actually are gaining weight like crazy for their size. It just doesn't show as fast when you are that small:-) I'm glad you liked the video!
Thank you so much for this. I was looking for something exactly like this. Very informative and I loved the shots of them eating the leaves
Since it took so much force to try and pull the caterpillar off the branch, does it feel weird when the caterpillar walks on your finger?
They have trouble getting a good grip on your finger, but yes, it's still a very interesting feeling.
Nature is interesting.
I’ve seen one of these once in North Carolina like 10 years ago and haven’t seen one since
You are lucky! Not many people get to see one up close.
Where is the most likely place to find these? Very fascinating just subscribed.
Thanks for subscribing! Southeast USA in mid summer, but they are very hard to find in the wild. Almost impossible to be honest.
They are gorgeous. 😍 No idea if we have them in Australia but there huge catterpillars
He said it's harmless so it's not in Australia 😂😂😂
Unfortunately they don't live in Australia. They are pretty cool though!
I saw one today in Montgomery Tx!
Love the video! If you don’t mind me asking, what steps did you take to become a lepidopterist/zoologist? I’m a senior in high school and I’m very interested in the field!
There are not a lot of formal educational routs in this field. I would recommend trying to find a butterfly farm you could intern with for a few months. Nothing can replace first hand working with the bugs!!!
Unique channel man. You got a sub!
Thank you!!
Very cool👏
Thanks!
Where did you find that gem at?!?!
I always wanted to raise a few ;(
Last 2 years, I've only manage to find monarchs and swallow Tails.
Southern NA, Around and slightly north of Texas. They're rarely found south of the Mexican border or north of Nebraska. I wish I could get one but I live in Canada. :(
I would pay someone about $50 to mail me a couple though.
Hank Green doing the work of a Divine Science, he brought me here. Insta-Subbed you my friend.
Thank for coming over. Hank is great guy!
We found one 25 years ago in southern Indiana. It ate a lot!
Very cool. But how come they're not eating hickory leaves?
Beautiful and interesting. But my brain is yelling at me "Don't freaking touch it!"
And that is exactly why they look that way!
Yup. Subbed.
Thanks!
I just seen one of these
Why didn't you show the adult stage ?
Is it Moth or a Butterfly ?
It’s a Regal Moth.
It is a Regal Moth. Here is a link to some pictures: www.google.com/search?q=citheronia+regalis&rlz=1C1PRFI_enUS722US728&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjlsKOh5sThAhWanoMKHTJ9A_UQ_AUIDigB&biw=1680&bih=939
That reminds me of Attacus atlas Moth caterpillar. Big, green, and kind of scary.
They are in the same family. Although the HHD is actually a bit bigger. Both are very cool cats!!
@@thebutterflyfarmer1509 I hope I can see the adult moth of Citheronia regalis in the next video.
What an amazing creature!
Dnt no the name(scientific + generic) but in Manipur india, we have this giant caterpillars as big as a toe and 4-5 inch long blueish color and have white powdery substance covering it partially, lives on guava trees. It has same horn formation but white, not as long as this though
That is interesting. I would love to see a picture if you have one?
I always play outside and find butterfly and i catch it also caterpillars
Yeah, I suppose this channels might be my new hyperfixation
That's one hungry hungry caterpillar
Another great video. You put a lot of work into this and it shows. Keep up the good work!
Thank you! We are glad you enjoy them!!
If I ever get lost in the wild, can I eat a horned devil?They look like a easy source of protein.
Yes, but I am pretty sure there are easier meals. These guys are hard to find:-)
Hank brainwash me to like moths!
I am glad he did!
Great channel dude. Next David Attenborough.
Thank you!! That's a great complement.
is there extended footage?
Not right now, but I am hoping to do more with them this summer.
Giant meat bags. Do they have any predators that regularly eat them or are their outrageous looks enough to deter most?
The outrageous look does help, but there are definitely still some predators especially for the younger cats.
Best part is these caterpillars who eat plant leaves help plant spread its seeds when they become butterfly.
Humans should learn how even the smallest insect give back what they taken from nature.
I actually saw one when I was at band camp in 2016
This 1 time at band camp...
Are their eating habits purely due to convenience or could it be because they’re so heavy they might break the leaf petiole if they climbed out on it and end up falling away from their food source?
That is a very good observation, and I believe you are correct.
I want one for a pet.
Will it evolve into a butterfree!!!!
A moth to be precise.
My sister would grab the harry black caterpillars and suck on them till they were just hair. Sounds nasty but she was 3 years old when we first found out. Those harry black caterpillars hairs would sting..and she wouldn't mind the pain or didn't feel it or idk but just brought that memory back watching this video.
Dear God!!!! Oh, that's just so nasty. I had to read your comment twice for it to actually sink in... Ahggggg.🐛🤢🤮
I want one.
I touched a similar looking one in souther FL.
Got hives
There are some stinging caterpillars, but I have never heard of getting hives from a caterpillars.
Sure did! Only from the for-arm down, maybe its me..possibly allergic??..
Said caterpillar was quit smaller, identical color, much smaller horns with a slightly brighter orange..
I'm an entomologist. It is wrong to state that they do not have exoskeleton. Every single arthropod do have exoskeleton, with various thickness tho
Are they the same as the green horned tomato caterpillar?
They are both moths, but not the same species. These guys are actually about twice as big by weight.
are they edible ?
Wtf?! Lmao
I believe they are, but they are way too cool to eat;-)
Where in the world are they found ???? I wanna go fund one for my display at home ........a 5000 gallon tank, with a mini jungle inside.......it would be very at home there, this animal would be awesome to have!!!!!
They are found in the eastern United States, but can be pretty hard to find. They only stay as a caterpillar for about 6 weeks, so it would not really be a good choice to keep in a tank.
@@thebutterflyfarmer1509 it was just a joke
Uh, I could watch that time lapse monching for another hour or so thanks
What part of the country do they live? What does the moth or butterfly look like after their metamorphosis.
They live over most of the eastern United States. However, they are quite hard to find and very rarely seen. Here is a link to pictures of the adult moth: www.google.com/search?hl=en&authuser=0&rlz=1C1PRFI_enUS722US728&tbm=isch&q=regalis+moth&chips=q:regalis+moth,online_chips:regal+moth&usg=AI4_-kRI5t8Qu_hA7-Uhij3GJYScP9nB8Q&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjEobKywbPhAhUQGKwKHTh6BVQQ4lYILCgD&biw=1680&bih=939&dpr=1
I want one now, damn it.
Not actually tho