The events took place in a small Argentine town. Luhan Eroles, 46, was shocked when she found this strange creature near her house.
The woman’s first reaction was fear – she thought she had discovered a snake, but it wasn’t a snake at all…
The woman called her neighbors and they had a real debate about the identity of the creature. But no one was too brave to come really close or to touch it.
The woman later told National Geographic about her find: “I couldn’t imagine that something like this existed. It looked like a snake, but the eyes were not in the right place. I was very afraid it was something poisonous.”
In an attempt to determine the truth, Eroles shared a video of the strange “caterpillar” on her social media page. The video quickly gained popularity, with people speculating and guessing in the comments. Everyone wanted to know what kind of creature it was and where it came from.
Some versions appeared. However, as a result of long debates, experts (who also watched the video) came to a definite conclusion about the “mysterious guest” of Luhan.
The animal turned out to be a caterpillar, which belongs to the rarest species of moths. These moths live mostly in Central America and are remarkable because they have such an original defense mechanism. To scare off unwanted enemies, they can pretend to be a snake.
The snake-like caterpillar has no other means of defense. By pretending to be a snake, the creature instills fear in other inhabitants who assume it is poisonous.Such original solutions are demonstrated by evolutionary adaptation.
Now Lujan Eroles and her neighbors not only have peace of mind about their homes, but are proud to have encountered such a rare specimen of the moth.
Have you ever seen something like this in your life? Would you be frightened to find such a caterpillar in your yard? Share it with your friends so they know what it is.
