March 24 (UPI) — A Spanish woman who captured viral video of an animal that appeared to be a bizarre snake “with two heads” said the creature turned out to be a caterpillar.
Lujan Eroles posted photos and video to Facebook showing a creature she said appeared to be a thick 4-inch snake with “two heads, three eyes and weird skin.”
Facebook users were perplexed by the creature and Eroles’ post quickly went viral.
Comments suggested the animal was a “mutant” of some type, but Facebook users with knowledge of insects soon pointed Eroles in the right direction — a caterpillar.
Some suggested the creature strongly resembled a gaudy sphinx moth caterpillar, which are native to the Americas, but experts said it is more likely an elephant hawk moth caterpillar, the gaudy sphinx’s European cousin.
Both species of caterpillar are known to disguise themselves as snakes to ward off predators.
