What Is This Strange-Looking Bug?
(Inside Edition)
What on Earth is that?
That's what Tommy Hortman asked himself when he spotted a creepy-looking bug he described as "a lobster dressed as a spider" crawling along the inside of his car window.
At first, it looked like a dead leaf.
"I was about to roll down the window and brush it out and all of a sudden it started moving," Hortman told Inside Edition.
It turns out, it wasn't a plant at all, but something called a hag moth caterpillar. The light brown insect has nine pairs of fleshy lobes with stinging hairs. It's generally harmless, although some people experience severe reactions and require medical attention. Others may only have mild itching or burning, according to Poison Control.
Hortman said the creature looked otherworldly.
"That was my first thought," he said. "If I burn this whole truck down I'm saving humanity."
But Hortman decided on a less drastic solution.
"I rolled down the window, got a napkin and just scooched it out into the parking lot," he said.
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