Woman Screams When She Spots ‘Two-Headed Snake’ In Back Garden, Stunned When She Realizes What It Really Is

*Note: We are republishing this story, which originally made headlines in March 2017.*

A viral video from Santa Fe, Argentina, once left millions baffled. In the clip, a woman showcased a strange, snake-like creature she described as having “two heads, three eyes, and weird skin.” The stubby, striped being looked like a snake with a head on each end and even a blinking eye. But when flipped over with a stick, the mystery deepened—revealing several tiny legs squirming underneath.

The woman, Lujan Eroles, turned to Facebook for answers. Her post quickly exploded, gathering over 180,000 shares and more than 19 million views. Speculation ran wild: some joked it was a Pokémon, while others guessed it was a bizarre worm. For weeks, no one had a definitive answer—until experts stepped in.

The “creature,” it turned out, was a hawk moth caterpillar. According to National Geographic, these caterpillars are masters of disguise. When threatened, they puff up their tails to mimic a snake’s head, scaring off predators like birds. The so-called “blinking eye” is actually part of this illusion, a defense tactic documented in the *Journal of Natural History*.

Katy Prudic, an entomologist at the University of Arizona, explained that the caterpillar’s transformation is an evolutionary strategy: “It’s like a hot dog suddenly turning into a snake. The predator gets startled and drops it.”

Though harmless, the caterpillar’s lifelike disguise proved convincing enough to fool millions online. What began as a frightening encounter became a fascinating reminder of nature’s creativity—and how survival in the wild often depends on clever deception.