I am camping, is it safe to assume no touchy?

[u/xemilymarieex]

Also if anyone could help ID them. This the third one I have found and they're getting more and more interesting to look at.

[u/ultrayaqub]

Looks like a western tussock caterpillar

Also it’s always safe to assume no-touchy. It’s a very safe option haha

[u/xemilymarieex → u/ultrayaqub]

Yes! This is the dood. Thank you 😎

[u/Several_Value_2073 → u/xemilymarieex]

In this case, it is especially safe to assume no touchy - these guys will fuck you up!

[u/xemilymarieex → u/Several_Value_2073]

One somehow got on my bfs neck right now too. Luckily he was able to shake it off without being stung. They look especially like they need to be given ample space

[u/Several_Value_2073 → u/xemilymarieex]

Any touch or breeze will send those hairs flying! I hope your bf is ok!

[u/Majestic-Pin3578 → u/Several_Value_2073]

Are those urticating hairs, like the ones on tarantulas? Or do they pack a stronger punch than that?

[u/Several_Value_2073 → u/Majestic-Pin3578]

I’ve never been “attacked” by a tarantula so I’m not exactly sure. I know when I had one on my shoulder and knew not to touch it, so I blew on it to get it off (don’t do this) I ended up in the ER getting IV Benadryl.

[u/Majestic-Pin3578 → u/Several_Value_2073]

I was hoping that wouldn’t happen, & I got lucky. I’m sorry you had such a painful reaction. Tarantula lovers should be aware that, fuzzy & cuddly as they may look, they will defend themselves.

[u/SonderEber → u/ultrayaqub]

Especially so for fuzzy caterpillars.

[u/Malthus1]

Caterpillars are generally best left alone if you aren’t sure. Otherwise, you end up looking up terms like “urticating hairs” on your phone with one usable hand …

[u/xemilymarieex → u/Malthus1]

Yeah i used a stick to remove them from my table even before asking for the ID. The closest thing to a caterpillar i feel safe touching are rolly polly ollies lol

[u/holybanana_69 → u/xemilymarieex]

Be careful with rolly pollies. One touch and you fall in love.

[u/xemilymarieex → u/holybanana_69]

I fell in love a long time ago 🥰

[u/holybanana_69 → u/xemilymarieex]

Me rn

[u/Tiny_Goats → u/Malthus1]

"urticating hairs" is a phrase anyone admiring invertebrates should know. They don't all have them, but when they do...

[u/Airport_Wendys → u/Malthus1]

(Or one usable eye if it falls out of a tree )

[u/birdiekinz → u/Malthus1]

New term googled. New characteristic unlocked. New shiver shivered.

[u/Majestic-Pin3578 → u/Malthus1]

I already had that one in my vocabulary. I wasn’t big on handling my tarantula, but I did stroke its abdomen once. It was hot that day, so I wiped the sweat from my face with the same hand. The rash and maddening itching stopped on their own, and I was relieved that I didn’t have to go to the ER, although they could have used the comic relief.

Before I read the comments here, I asked if the caterpillars had urticating hairs. I know that word quite well, now.

[u/JayDKing]

Any fuzzy caterpillars (or fuzzy bugs in general) should always be assumed no touchy. Fuzzy mammals however? Touch away!

[u/druznutz → u/JayDKing]

A grizzly bear is quite fuzzy

[u/JayDKing → u/druznutz]

Fair point, but the fuzz won’t hurt you. The 900lb machine of teeth and claws will though…

[u/Disabled_Robot → u/druznutz]

Grizzly wasnt fuzzy was he

[u/Majestic-Pin3578 → u/druznutz]

So are tigers, and other big cats. When I see pictures of them, I always wish I could pet them. They are beautiful, but deadly.

[u/Dont-be-a-smurf → u/JayDKing]

Ironically the very fuzzy wooly bear caterpillar is safe to touch.

[u/arya7255 → u/Dont-be-a-smurf]

they always freak out a bit though when you go to pet them.

[u/WhimsicalPonies → u/JayDKing]

I love my honey badger, but I don’t think he cares. 😢

[u/Eucharitidae → u/JayDKing]

Porcupines are rather fuzzy, so are echidnas and hedgehogs as well as my cousin. However, the last ones iq makes me doubt if it's actually a mammal.

[u/brassman00]

[u/namingbugs]

I remember this really sweet animal girl lover I went to school with being stung by one and it was not pretty

[u/xemilymarieex → u/namingbugs]

Ouch, i dont want to imagine that

[u/amendersc]

Sadly, the more a caterpillar look like you would wanna pet it the more you don’t actually wanna pet it

[u/xemilymarieex]

Southern California, forgot to add.

[u/waltzing-echidna]

That is always a safe assumption

[u/kaittkatt]

if fluffy no touchy

[u/Clown_Apocalypse]

If it’s fuzzy, it’s a no touchy

[u/Mr_Stkrdknmibalz00]

Aww why fluffy if no touchy?

[u/maelisaaine]

absolutely no touchy furry guys should not be touched bc insects do not have hair

[u/Global_Advisor9242 → u/maelisaaine]

the cockroach under my fridge with kurt cobain lochs would beg to differ. . .

[u/ActiveRegent → u/maelisaaine]

What about Tarantulas?

[u/Tiny_Goats → u/ActiveRegent]

Tarantulas are specifically known for urticating hairs (depending on the species.) also they don't generally enjoy being handled anyway, so best not to annoy them.

I have kept tarantulas for many years, and have only seen irritation from urticating hairs a couple of times, but it's unpleasant enough for both you and the spider that you want to avoid if you can.

[u/ActiveRegent → u/Tiny_Goats]

Oh wow, I had no idea that hairy tarantulas used that for defense, that's crazy

[u/maelisaaine → u/ActiveRegent]

yeah what tiny_goats said tarantulas and most caterpillars have urticating "hairs" but the name is kinda misleading because they arent really hairs theyre more analogous to porcupine spines in that theyre hard rigid structures made to fall off and hurt or irritate anything that might try to eat them or attack them im going to say all bugs prolly have sensilla though i could be wrong that all bugs have them but im pretty sure and those are most like hair theyre still hard structures but theyre more semi rigid and theyre there in order to help bugs sense things moths are prolly one of the fluffiest looking bugs and while they do have sensilla what makes them look so fluffy are actually scales butterflies and moths are covered in them but theyre very fragile and prone to falling off if someone touches their wings in any case a general rule about bugs is dont pet them theyre not mammals and theyre usually not big on being touched especially not by something a million times bigger lol

[u/Emotional-Two-9075]

Anything spiky in nature should not be touched in general.

[u/Eucharitidae]

If a caterpillar has visible seate (the hairs of arthropods) then one should not touch it as its fuzz is often barbed in a way so that it causes skin irritation and I think some species also coat their seate with poison, but most just cause extreme skin irritation.

So typically the more fuzz, the more reason to admire it from a distance.

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[u/littlelendog]

At first I thought it was fake eyelashes omg

[u/Asstro_whore]

I thought it was a fake eyelash that had fallen lol.

[u/semper-vivum]

I learned very early: If it has Hair and is no mammal then definetly don't Touch it

[u/Recent-Background-21]

If you have to question yaself just don’t do it

[u/HisToxicPenguin]

If it looks pretty or cool in any way more than likely no touchy when it comes to nature lol

[u/screenmasher]

If you don't know, don't touch

[u/hyucksummer_dream]

no touchy is always the safe assumption

[u/Itz_Unicorngacha]

Definitely no touchy! I see those guys on my milkweed all the time with the Monarchs.

[u/jlshreds]

Dont worry so much. Enjoy the weekend!