Off The Record
If You See This ‘Deadly’, Cute Creature In Your Backyard, Here’s What It Means
We live in a truly interesting world that continues to amaze us, even though most people would say we’ve seen and explored pretty much everything there is to see and explore.
It’s because of the growth of the internet that we can see things that our ancestors could never see. Just think about what goes on in the daily lives of people on the other side of the Earth.
We’re always able to learn new things and broaden our perspectives thanks to how quickly knowledge sharing and mass media have grown. I have seen many things on the internet that I would not have seen otherwise, such as animals and insects that look like they are from another world.
Although I like to think I know a good amount about nature, I have to admit that when I saw a picture of a creature an Australian woman said she had found in her backyard, I thought it had to be fake right away.
It wasn’t just me…
Reports say that the homeowner in question posted about her interesting discovery on social media, asking people to help her figure out what it was that she saw curled up against a hedge in her Sydney, Australia, garden.
The strange-looking bug has pink-and-black eyes that look like they were slapped on by a kindergarten-aged child who was really excited about something. It’s a pretty regular sight in that part of the world right now, so don’t worry.
Of course, neither the woman who found the example above nor many of the people who saw her Facebook post knew that right away.
The woman asked, “Does anyone know what this strange little thing is?”
“I seriously thought you stuck googly eyes on a weirdly shaped stocking,” one neighbor replied in the comments.
“That is the cutest thing I have ever seen,” another said.
An entomologist at the Australian Museum named Andrew Mitchell told Yahoo News Australia that the animal is a type of hawkmoth worm.
“It is most often found on vines, including grape vines, and they are quite common, especially around this time of year — late summer to early autumn,” he said.
“This species has quite a wide distribution, from the Kimberley region (in WA) eastwards along the coastal strip all the way to Cape York (in Queensland) and then south to Sydney.”
According to reports, the insect’s brown color helps it hide from animals that might try to eat it, and its eyes scare away anything that might want to eat it.
Even though they don’t bite or sting, the caterpillars may let out green juice if they feel threatened.
“When threatened they puff up the front of their body, raise it into the air, suck the head in a bit, and can look quite convincingly like a snake when viewed front on — some species even hiss and strike at you,” Mitchell added. “But they’re completely harmless of course.”
Do not worry if you see one of these “googly-eyed” animals in your yard if you live in any of the places listed above in Australia.
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Have you ever seen something like this before? Please SHARE this strange finding with Family and Friends and let us know what you think in comments!
