I received a pleasant new year's gift from my dad whom picked up a hairy caterpillar from the floor in one hdb estate and brought it home. It was so furrily cute that I decided to keep it and watch it grow.
I googled it and found out that this is the caterpillar of the Pale Tussock Moth (Calliteara pudibunda) which is in the Lymantriidae family. The distinctive feature of this caterpillar is the four tuffs of hair along its back. However be warned, for the hair projections can cause skin irritation upon contact. In fact, tussock moths have caused an outbreak of dermatitis in Singapore =O
Dad said that there was a bunch of shrubs filled with caterpillars, and indeed, when I went to see for myself, the Ixora javanica leaves were almost eaten bare. There were many cocoons however, which meant that my caterpillar was a late bloomer.
The caterpillars use the hairs on their back as camouflage; a little shelter they snuggle in whereas they complete their pupae stage.
Hope my caterpillar would grow up healthy and well!
It's a male!
Just when it emerged:
I left the cover of the container opened during the night and true enough, it was gone by the next day. All the best to finding a mate to my first full-grown caterpillar!
