“Is this an elephant hawk moth caterpillar?” asks Julia in her submission regarding the gray-green creature pictured below; it has a pattern of dots and circles on its back, as well as two big eye spots on its head. “I live in southwest Florida, right on the water. My daughter and I found this guy outside on the hot pavement, in quite a hurry. So we picked him up and placed him in the shade under a tree. I have looked and looked and can’t find any sightings of them anywhere near South FL. But he sure did have an elephant snout and the same markings. Is this guy really lost, or am I misidentifying? PS. Thanks for all you do! I’ve submitted questions several times. Even when you couldn’t directly help, your suggestions did.”

To start with, we want to thank Julia for sending in all her submissions, and we are always happy to help. Secondly, she is correct in identifying this as an elephant hawk moth caterpillar. Although there may not be any recorded sightings of these caterpillars in Florida, it is not impossible for these to be found there. Their distribution is widespread across the United States, and they can live in a variety of environments, including wetlands and freshwater habitats, as well as urban areas. The adult moth is beautiful, having a velvety, olive-green body and wings, as well as pink markings all over. Its antennae are even pink!

The reason they are called elephant hawk moths is actually because of the caterpillars and not the moths; some people find that the caterpillar looks like an elephant trunk. We cannot say we are entirely convinced of this comparison, but we can understand that the gray color and wrinkled appearance might remind people of that. Now, the massive eye spots on the side of its head are not actual eyes, and this goes for a lot of caterpillar species with similar markings. Their real eyes are more centered at the front of their head. The fake ones are there to scare off predators. According to WildlifeTrust’s “page on elephant hawk moths“, these caterpillars can even ‘inflate’ their bodies to appear larger and accentuate their eyespots.

In conclusion, we think Julia is absolutely correct in identifying this as an elephant hawk moth caterpillar, and we consider her lucky to have found one: not because they are particularly rare, but just because they are magnificent creatures. They are not poisonous and are safe to handle. That said, unforeseen allergic reactions can occur, and the caterpillar could get frightened by physical contact, so we recommend not touching them. We hope this helps, and we wish Julia the very best.

Summary

Article Name

Grayish-green Worm with Big Eye Spots is an Elephant Hawk Moth Caterpillar

Description

"Is this an elephant hawk moth caterpillar?" asks Julia in her submission regarding the gray-green creature pictured below; it has a pattern of dots and circles on its back, as well as two big eye spots on its head. "I live in southwest Florida, right on the water. My daughter and I found this guy outside on the hot pavement, in quite a hurry. So we picked him up and placed him in the shade under a tree. I have looked and looked and can't find any sightings of them anywhere near South FL. But he sure did have an elephant snout and the same markings. Is this guy really lost, or am I misidentifying? PS. Thanks for all you do! I've submitted questions several times. Even when you couldn't directly help, your suggestions did."

Author

Worm Researcher Anton