Josh Clark

The toxins in that particular caterpillar are being studied for its usefulness in biomedicine.

But the rest will still sting you.

It's just not going to kill you.

It'll still hurt.

That's South America.

In North America, the biggest one we have is the puss caterpillar, P-U-S-S.

Megalopage uppercularis, the southern flannel moth.

And just accidentally brushing it can cause excruciating pain I've seen.

So just be careful.

Like, admire caterpillars with your eyes, not with your hands.

There's one other thing, too.

The eastern tent caterpillars are problematic, especially in places like Kentucky, because they cause what's called mare reproductive loss syndrome, where just, I think, 50 grams, which is a tenth of a pound of these caterpillars ingested by a horse while it's foraging, can cause it to lose its fetus, have a stillborn birth.

All sorts of crazy stuff, so much so that it has a whole syndrome named after it, and it's just from eating these caterpillars.

Oh, wow.

Isn't that crazy?

I thought you'd like that.

Yeah, caterpillars are great.

I think we should do a two-parter with butterflies.

Okay, I say we get on it then, Chuck.

I don't know.