What's with this caterpillar?

[Mutley]

I've never seen one like this in Maryland before. Does anyone know what kind he is? He looks like a little stegosaurus.

[wryter2000]

1. What a cutie

I have no idea what it is, but it probably eats some plant or other that you love.

[Mutley]

3. He is hanging out perilously close to my beloved potted plants.

:grr: One of which is hanging on for dear life and I've been trying to nurse it back to health. He is cute but he better stay away from my greenery or he'll have to go. Right above him is a huge spider web (the web didn't show up well in the pic so I cropped it out), so he better not make me mad.

[Cooley Hurd]

2. Damn! That Caterpillar has some TESTICLES!

If only he were a Democratic leader!! :D

[Mutley]

4. No shit!

Are those testicles?

[mike_c]

5. it's a tussock moth caterpillar....

It's in the genus Orgyia, maybe O. antiqua (rusty tussock moth) or O. pseudotsugata (Douglas fir tussock moth). I might be able to identify it better if I know where you photographed it (but probably not for a few hours-- I'm in class all afternoon).

on edit-- this particular beast looks like it's in it's "wandering phase," when it ceases feeding and begins looking for a nice sheltered place to pupate.

[Mutley]

6. In Baltimore, Maryland

on the underside of my balcony railing.

[seriousstan]

7. Here you go...

http://www.whatsthiscaterpillar.co.uk/america/popups/picture89.htm

[mike_c]

8. yep, that's it-- the species I suggested are western....

Nice ID.

[Mutley]

10. Nice! Thanks!

It's too bad I don't get to name him Stegosaurus Caterpillar. x(

[LynneSin]

9. Yes, but what the hell is with this catepiller?

[Mutley]

11. He's more like a roach.

[Cooley Hurd]

13. Oh, that's the albino catepiller...

...known to thrive amongst bullshit. ;)

[pitohui]

12. that one will never be a butterfly

i forgot what it's called

it's a parasite of some sort attaching itself to the caterpillar

on second thought maybe i have this confused w. a growth on tomato hornworm, those big green caterpillars

This insect is parasitized by a number of insects. One of the most common is a small braconid wasp. Larva that hatch from wasp eggs laid on the hornworm feed on the inside of the hornworm until the wasp is ready to pupate. The cocoons appear as white projections protruding from the hornworms body. If such projections are seen, leave the infected hornworms in the garden. The wasps will kill the hornworms when they emerge from the cocoons and will seek out other hornworms to parasitize.

[mike_c]

14. no, in this case those are just tufts of hairs...

...not emergent parasitoids.