Anyone who’s read “The Very Hungry Caterpillar” knows how butterflies and moths develop from clumsy and adorable larvae, but have you ever seen it in real time? The puss moth (not to be confused with the very venomous flannel moth, which is sometimes also called “puss moth”) is named for the fabulous cat-like fur the adult moth is covered in. The puss moth caterpillar goes through several stages of molting and growing before it cocoons, but one element that remains the same size is the two antennae-like protrusions which it raises as a warning to those who would attack it. Those who don’t heed the warning get sprayed with acid, not quite enough to kill anything, but enough to deter predators.
