ID for caterpillar?

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kris-at-desert
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ID for caterpillar?

Post by kris-at-desert »

hey I saw these in the Sahara in May - any info about them would be great!
sahara-caterpillar.jpg
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Re: ID for caterpillar?

Post by reptilist »

That is the larva of a Sphinx moth....aka "hornworm".
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Re: ID for caterpillar?

Post by kris-at-desert »

Thanks so much, I really had wondered about that! It was so strange seeing them in the middle of the saharan desert. But Morocco had its wettest year in 35 years in 2008, with huge floods, so maybe flora and fauna were flourishing in unusual quantities. There were little bits of green in the unlikeliest places too.
more-green.jpg
green-in-desert.jpg
I wrote a little article about my trip on desertusa if anyone is interested, it's here

http://www.desertusa.com/mag09/jul09/sahara_story.html
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Re: ID for caterpillar?

Post by reptilist »

Kristina,
I enjoyed your Sahara desert story very much! (I would have been very interested in seeing reptiles.)
Also, re: the young woman washing clothes...I can't help but think what a fine wife she would make here in America.... ;)
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Re: ID for caterpillar?

Post by kris-at-desert »

okay reptilist, just for you, here are some Moroccan reptiles!
snake-for-reptilist.jpg
iguana-for-reptilist.jpg
Re the washer-woman - yes she was one hard-working girl! Her husband was a lucky man!

:D so glad you enjoyed the story
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Re: ID for caterpillar?

Post by reptilist »

Ah! Thanks for posting the cool stuff!
Nuthin like the smile of a man and his snake!
I don't know the snake species, but the lizard appears to be a Uromastyx.
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Re: ID for caterpillar?

Post by kris-at-desert »

yes, you look similarly contented with the snake in your own photo ;)

I found this info on the web

one of the species of the Genus Uromastyx is U. acanthinura acanthinura BELL 1825, which occurs in Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Mauritania, Libya

So is a uromastyx a completely different critter than an iguana?
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Re: ID for caterpillar?

Post by reptilist »

Well, they are both lizards!
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