Everyone’s Saying This Caterpillar Looks Like Donald Trump’s Wig But I Think It Just Looks Poisonous As Hell

The underground world of caterpillar enthusiasts is all abuzz with chatter of a Peruvian specimen that looks just like Donald Trump’s messed up mop top. The ‘flannel moth caterpillar’, or Megalopyge opercularis from the Family Megalopygidae, has everyone talking about how much it looks like the Republican Party nominee for President of the United States of America. And while I don’t disagree with the assessment that this peculiar caterpillar looks just like Donald Trump‘s nappy ass bouffant hairdo all I see when I look at this caterpillar is what appears to be one of the most venomous caterpillars on the planet (which it turns out I was quasi right and it’s poisonous as hell):

Here’s wildlife photographer Jeff Cremer (Instagram, Twitter) in the Peruvian Amazon finding one of these peculiar caterpillars in the wild, and in this clip he goes on to show that it’s the actual field biologists referring to it as the ‘Donald Trump Wig Caterpillar’ and how that’s not just a name given to it by the mainstream media (like the NYPost) just to get clicks…Scientists are the ones that came up with this first:

According to wildlife photographer Jeff Cremer (the man in the video above), coming in contact with this venomous caterpillar can cause a great deal of pain:

The caterpillar has Urticating hairs or urticating bristles which can cause irritation when they break off and lodge in skin. In some species these structures are hollow and connected to poison-producing cells, functioning like a hypodermic needle. Generally most hairs are only irritating, but some are dangerous to the eyes and respiratory tract, and some can cause severe skin necrosis and shedding.

In addition to being a wildlife photographer in the Peruvian Amazon Jungle, Jeff teaches marketing and photography at the “Roosevelt Innovation Academy” in Lima. ‘The Innovation Academy is a program that uses project-based learning to teach students entrepreneurial skills’, with students doing things such as building drones and completing 3D-Printing projects, a pretty righteous venture down in Peru and you should ALL click that link to see what the Roosevelt Innovation Academy has been up to!

I think it’s been ingrained somewhere in my DNA as a born-and-raised Floridian to stay as far away as possible from caterpillars that look like this. I’ve always been told the bristly hairs are poisonous and can cause a world of hurt when you come in contact with them…which I guess isn’t too different from someone coming in contact with Donald Trump’s hair. He’s likely to throw your ass to the ground if you mess up his perfect hairdo, and for good reason, he doesn’t have as much hair as he once did and can’t afford to let some jabronis go messing it up.

Anyways, to read up more on this fascinating creature you should head over to JeffCremerPhotography.com. Jeff’s the wildlife photographer who recently captured the image of this rare ‘Donald Trump Wig Caterpillar’ and he’s got some stunning images on his website AND on his Twitter (@JcremerPhoto) and Instagram (@JeffCremer) pages, so GO GIVE HIM A FOLLOW as Jeff was kind enough to let me use his images for this article!

…(h/t NYPost for tracking down images of this peculiar caterpillar!)…