Weird creature that looks like a 'snake about to strike' leaves residents baffled

dailystar.co.uk:

creature which resembles a "snake about to strike" has left residents baffled by its creepy appearance. The insect, which has markings like a reptile, stunned locals in Merseyside who eventually needed the help of experts to identify it.One shocked resident posted an alarming image online, which showed the creature that looked chunkier than a snake.READ MORE Huge dinosaur remains thought to be Europe's biggest ever found in man's back garden The woman posted it on Facebook group Rimrose Valley Friends and said: "I have just seen this caterpillar.

Does anyone recognise it and what it turns in to. It raised its head like a snake about to strike."Last year, experts confirmed these creatures are not a type of snake but instead a type of caterpillar.Mike Jordan, animal and plant director at Chester Zoo, said these creatures are called the Elephant Hawkmoth."The caterpillar feeds on willowherb, but also fuchsias so is quite often seen in gardens," he explained."When disturbed, it inflates the segments behind the head to mimic a snake.” When the caterpillar changes to the moth, it is mainly golden-olive with bright pink bars on the wings and body, reports Liverpool Echo.The similar Small Elephant Hawkmoth is smaller, yellower and less common and it is found in short grassland.Last year, Britt Whitmarsh said her grandparents found the animal which had scale-like skin."Truthfully I thought it was an old dried up snake until it started moving," she recalled."My grandparents spotted it this morning.