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Can you please identify this caterpillar (with picture)
Howdy,
I live in Suwannee County, FL and found this little critter out and about near the front porch this morning. My best guess is that it’s a Gulf Fritillary Caterpillar, however I am most often mistaken as opposed to correct with these assumptions. Would you mind helping me properly identify this caterpillar? As a note, when my dog tried to sniff at it, two spots on it’s head around the vicinity of it’s eyes bulged out big round bright orange spots about the size of two small drops of water. Unfortunately, I couldn’t get the caterpillar to do it’s performance for the camera. Also, I tried looking up this caterpillar in your archives, but many of the pictures wouldn’t load.
Thanks for your time,
Joe

Hi Joe,
What an awesome photo of a Pipevine Swallowtail Caterpillar. The orange horns that appeared are a defense mechanism known as the osmeterium that produce a scent found offensive by predators.

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1. Pipevine Swallowtail Caterpillar (March 12, 2005)
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3. Pipevine Swallowtail Caterpillar (December 15, 2006)
4. Pipevine Swallowtail Caterpillar and Feeding Frenzy of Hackberry Emperors (June 20, 2007)
5. Pipevine Swallowtail Caterpillar (May 27, 2009)