Note: we are republishing this story which originally made the news in March 2017. A viral video from Santa Fe, Argentina, showing a strange creature with “two heads, three eyes, and weird skin” racked up over 19 million views. The snake-like animal puzzled viewers—until it was flipped over, revealing tiny legs beneath.
Lujan Eroles, who found the creature in her courtyard, posted it on Facebook, sparking over 180,000 shares and countless guesses. Some joked it was a Pokémon; others thought it was a worm. After a month, the mystery was solved: it was a hawk moth caterpillar.
These caterpillars use mimicry as a defense, puffing up their tail to resemble a snake’s head and even creating a fake “blinking eye” to scare predators.
Though unsettling in appearance, the caterpillar is harmless—just another example of nature’s clever survival tactics.
