Sausages / Acherontia atropos

Deathshead Hawkmoth / Acherontia atropos

[saffron]

i heard their little pointy feet at the front can puncture other caterpillars if they walk over eachother too much, is this true?

[tsadpole]

is them being brown random upon hatching or would all the caterpillars from the same mother be brown? i have 8 and none of mine are brown

[nottherealbaphomet]

Is there an explanation to why one of them is brown? Is it like a disease?

[Bullseyearchery]

Bart, what food plant are you raising these beauties on?
I used Privet.

I remember reading years ago that enthusiasts would scan Potato fields with binoculars looking for gaps. Hopefully a Deaths Head had eaten the plant away.