I guess I’m going with back-to-back caterpillar posts… with belly-to-belly caterpillars this time.
This photo was taken in Brazil, near the Rio Roosevelt in a remote stretch of the Amazon rainforest. We had a chance to do a couple night walks, and this find was probably the highlight. I believe these are caterpillars of an Automeris genus moth, though not 100% sure on that.
I’ve seen them once or twice before during night walks, and the abundance of poisonous spines and brilliant colors obviously stand out. But finding two together like this in a defensive formation was pretty unique, and the amazing shape it created was obviously a big draw. The angle was somewhat awkward, so it was difficult shooting straight on with a clean background, but this was about as close as I’d get.
Max, this is outstanding. The colors, the shapes and the detail in the spines are very striking. Clearly a “don’t mess with us” pose. Getting the black background lets them stand out even more.
Max: What @Mark_Seaver said. Can’t imagine any bird wanting to get one of these stuck in its craw. Great find and a great shot of a great subject.>=))>
Great find and a really well executed image, Max. This is the kind of image that and event that can lead natural history astray. Just looking at this, some people would jump to the conclusion that they’re mating unless they know that caterpillars aren’t equipped for that.
The mirror image look is just gorgeous and your lighting looks spot on to me.
That’s a fascinating pose - looks like they’d been munching the same leaf before you came. Did they move into this formation on your arrival? If you look through this group of images from China:
you will see various huddles, but none as synchronized as this. Nighttime flash really brings out everything with these caterpillars. Looking forward to many more, Max!
The softbox does a fairly good job taming down the highlights. I would reduce the strength of the whites and highlights slightly to provide more texture to the areas obscured by the brightness. Comp is wonderful and the tiny bit of asymmetry adds additional interest to the image. Awesome!..Jim
Oh wow, Max, what a find and what a shot! I don’t know how I missed seeing this for a couple of days. I have been busy but I do check in especially to see the Macro category, but this is the first I have seen it. Really nice position you found them in, and I can see where it would be a defensive position. I agree with @Bill_Fach that no bird would want to get them stuck in their craw. Nice!
Mike, the link didn’t work, but I found the John on Flickr and was able to see some of his collection. There are some amazing caterpillars in his gallery!
This pair was hanging together like this when we found them.
