The Giant Silkworm Caterpillar

Welcome to the wonderful world of poisonous caterpillars

In South America, there are many dangerous animals and insects but there is one that is more dangerous than all the rest. Lonomia obliqua is very well known for its very poisonous larva state. It has been called the assassin caterpillar and the killer caterpillar, but really it is only the larva of the giant silkworm moth. This chemically defending arthropod uses its specialized bristles to harm anything that it may come in contact with in its larva state. According to many sceptics, the L. obliqua is considered to be in the top 25 most poisonous animals.



Throughout this site you can learn about the classification of the L. obliqua and the habitat and interactions that it may be found in. Along with that, you can learn about the adaptations that the caterpillar has developed throughout its evolution, how the caterpillar lives and reproduces, and how the venom is so special to this larva. Within each page you will see in text sources which you can trace back to our reference page if you are interested in learning more. If you are interested in learning about the authors, Elizabeth Nakhla and Megan Buchheit, you can check out the contact information page.



We hope you will enjoy discovering and learning about the giant silkworm caterpillar on our website, and check out our fellow classmates websites at multipleorganisms.net.



To begin we start your discovery with the classifications of the Lonomia obliqua.

UW-L