red eyes and spiky hair

This little guy crawled across our path the other day.

We were wary about touching him,
having heard enough stories about poisonous caterpillars
to make us avoid any unknown varieties.

And this one, with his 4 tufts of brown fuzz on the back,
red eyes, and spiky hair, is not your average garden variety.

After doing some google-research, the most similar caterpillar we found
is the Olene Mendosa, or the
Brown Tussock Moth
found in India, Indonesia, Taiwan, Thailand, and Australia.

And, apparently, the Philippines!

No mention of poison, either.
So next time we'll have to capture him
and feed him his favorite foods:
avocados, orchids, and macadamia nuts.