The freakish looking bug you see in this video, that looks like a mutant spider, is not something you ever want to come across inside your home. The fuzzy, spiky-haired creature isn’t a member of the arachnid family at all, it’s actually a caterpillar and it lives in North America.
Sightings of the strange insect have become increasingly common and left many people understandably shaken and wondering- what is that bizarre thing?!
The strange bug is commonly known as a hag moth and it’s scientific name is Phobetron pithecium. However, when it’s in the larva stage, like the one in the accompanying clip, it’s called the monkey slug caterpillar. This ugly little guy will soon spin himself into a cocoon and go through metamorphosis, changing into an adult hag moth that’s just as hairy and hideous as he ever was before.
The monkey slug caterpillar’s habitat ranges from Quebec, Canada all the way down to southern Florida and as far west as Nebraska. They’re easy to spot because of the oddly distinct features they sport on their bodies, which include those curly, hairy, arm-like parts you can clearly see sticking out in the video.
They move quite slow and awkwardly thanks to their suction cup legs, which is what earned them the slug part of their name. Many people who come across these bizarre bugs assume they are poisonous and thus go out of their way to avoid them.
While they aren’t exactly lethal or highly toxic, the hairs covering their bodies are capable of stinging and some people experience a painful reaction when their skin comes into contact with these hairs. However, it varies from person to person and those with more sensitive skin types are at an increased risk of having such a reaction.
All in all, it’s best to not touch or pick up any monkey slug caterpillars you see crawling around, not that you’d ever want to in the first place..
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