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Photo#531532
Big black caterpillar with black, tan, and red hairs - Arctia caja

Big black caterpillar with black, tan, and red hairs - Arctia caja
Forest Rd. 144, Rio Arriba County, New Mexico, USA
June 18, 2011
Size: 5 cm long?
Arctiinae? Any chance of doing better? Frass?

About 9,000 or 10,000 feet altitude, I think.

Sorry, I was birding, so I had the wrong lens on the camera and couldn't spend much time taking the picture, and I didn't notice what plant it was on. The part I cropped out is even more out of focus.

Images of this individual: tag all
Big black caterpillar with black, tan, and red hairs - Arctia caja Big black caterpillar with black, tan, and red hairs - Arctia caja

Moved
Moved from Tiger Moths. Kelly Mortensen at BAMONA confirmed my fellow birder shotguneddie's ID. Maybe it should stay in the guide as the only New Mexico photo so far, but it probably has a future as frass.

Moved

could be the ranchmans tiger moth
or another tiger..maybe this?

 
Thanks.
I see I should have posted the whole picture. Both of your suggestions look a lot like it to my inexpert eyes.

 
my vote is now
Great Tiger Moth - Hodges#8166 (Arctia caja)
having seen the biggerpic, .its the great tiger, or i'll eat my hat..lucky you to see such a thing. i found the first pergines to return to so oregon after the ddt thing in the 70s, birding is nice..would love to see the whooping cranes

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