I will never forget the first time I watched them hatching. The larvae when disturbed have two bright red filaments which extend and twirl from they’re forked tail which they wave about, If this does not work the larvae can also squirt out formic acid, which I once found out when poking it with a soft brush to display while taking pictures, I got it straight in the face, I remember washing my face in water as it felt a bit hot, the full grown larvae is large, and spectacular bright green with black saddle markings, bordered with white. With two eye spot markings above its head, Its head is also bordered with red, with so many different defenses makes this a very interesting larvae to rear and photograph from any angle.  When it is time to pupate this caterpillar makes a cocoon on a branch or bark, by chewing bits of wood and mixing it with silk, it matches tree almost exactly and hardens, making it an excellent camouflaged cocoon to stay safely in through the winter. When I was very young I had some Puss moth caterpillars feeding in a box in my bedroom, when it was time for the moths to pupate some of the caterpillars went walkabout in my room in search of somewhere to make there cocoons.  Well one made a cocoon under my bed, and one made a cocoon on my dressing table top, between the top and a resting picture frame, it chewed through the varnish and wood on the dress table, and part of the picture frame, joining the two together, later when it had changed into a pupae I cut it out, and ended up with a large hole on my dressing table, and my mum was not to pleased, the moth hatched safely the following year. I learnt later the best thing for them to make their cocoons is egg cartons. These can later be cut and hung in cages. This moth is very easy to obtain from collectors, butterfly farms and is highly recommended.