Some of my caterpillars are getting big enough to give me a good bite.

Of course, this is something you don’t really expect from a cute cuddly caterpillar. They just eat leaves, right? They don’t try to actually attack you, right?

So much for that.

Look at those jaws! My Acronicta afflicta caterpillars are getting quite large now, and a bit grumpy. I went to clean this guys’ container the other day, and he reared up and bit me! Sometimes they’ll thrash and pretend to bite, but now they can actually dig in.

They usually use those jaws for chewing tough leaves, like this. I was trying to photograph this one when it decided having a snack was better than posing for the camera.