Palamedes Swallowtail Caterpillar

Found this guy outside my town house yesterday, and I was prepared with macro lens(es) and extension tubes etc. Here are a few photos that I snapped. Check out my Flickr photostream for a few others if you are interested. Enjoy!

Palamedes Swallowtail (Papilio palamedes) Caterpillar
K-7, ISO 800, 1/100, f/8, SMC Pentax-M 85/2, 25mm Extension Tube


Portrait
K-7, ISO 1600, 1/200, f/16, SMC Pentax-FA 50/2.8 Macro


Predator Defense Mode
K-7, ISO 400, 1/640, f/5.6, SMC Pentax-FA 50/2.8 Macro

[paulyrichard]

Oh yes. Great shots, but I really like #1 and #3, they're beautiful.

[juanraortiz]

i love the #2. It seems to be ahairy alien!!

[arpaagent]

Originally Posted by paulyrichard

Oh yes. Great shots, but I really like #1 and #3, they're beautiful.

Thanks! I was lucky to spot him while I was outside messing around. They don't normally attract much attention since they are such slow movers.

I debated capturing it and raising it through the stages until it became a butterfly, but that would have required too much work . Maybe I'll see it outside fluttering around one day, who knows.

Originally Posted by juanraortiz

i love the #2. It seems to be ahairy alien!!

Yea, their faces are definitely not very attractive. But they are insects, and if you get close enough to most insects, they all look alien! We just aren't used to seeing them so close up most of the time.

[Scottnorwo]

what a cool looking critter. great shots

[flippedgazelle]

Awesome and fascinating photos.

[Heinrich Lohmann]

Very, very nice images thanks for posting them.

[8540tomg]

Possibly the most interesting caterpillar I've ever seen. Thanks for sharing.

Tom G

[flockofbirds]

He looks tasty...

But nice shots lol, last one has a very nice perspective and dof.

[arpaagent]

Originally Posted by flippedgazelle

Awesome and fascinating photos.

Originally Posted by Heinrich Lohmann

Very, very nice images thanks for posting them.

Originally Posted by 8540tomg

Possibly the most interesting caterpillar I've ever seen. Thanks for sharing.

Tom G

Thanks all. Nature has done the hard work-creating the beauty. All I did was capture it .

Originally Posted by flockofbirds

He looks tasty...

But nice shots lol, last one has a very nice perspective and dof.

Haha. He probably would be tasty, for a hungry bird or what not. I hope that his "scary face defense" is effective, because otherwise he is quite defenseless. About as slow as a snail and looked quite squishy from the way his skin moved when he bent himself.

I should have made a small video, that would have been interesting. Maybe next time.