I found this large creature in with our chickens today. It's huge ! Some kind of caterpillar but can anyone suggest which ? Also, what shall we do with it, as we're surrounded by cats here and we don't want them attacking it as soon as it's freed from the jar where we're keeping it safe for a while. Thanks in advance.
This caterpillar is in the family Sphingidae (sphinx moths); it may be very close to undergoing pupation. Try placing it in a large container with a few inches of loose soil/leaf litter and see what happens.
Thanks for replying, suunto. We actually released it last night when all the cats were elsewhere - didn't want to keep it captive any longer. Hopefully it has made its way to somewhere where it can pupate safely.
