A creature which looks like a "snake about to strike" has been spotted in Merseyside.
One resident posted a picture of the insect on local Facebook group Rimrose Valley Friends. The critter appears to have snake-like markings, but is chunkier and smaller in length then a reptile.
The woman 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 at Chester Zoo confirmed these creatures are not a type of snake but instead a type of caterpillar.
READ MORE: Machete 'swung at' man in town centre before police swoop
Mike Jordan, animal and plant director at Chester Zoo said these creatures are called the Elephant Hawkmoth. He said: "The caterpillar feeds on willowherb, but also fuchsias so is quite often seen in gardens. 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. The similar Small Elephant Hawkmoth is smaller, yellower and less common and it is found in short grassland.
Last year, the ECHO reported how Britt Whitmarsh's grandparents found the animal and she spoke of how its scale-like skin had her convinced it was snake. She said: "Truthfully I thought it was an old dried up snake until it started moving.
"My grandparents spotted it this morning. My nan goes out every morning to de-head any died off flowers and pick up any petals or leaves that have fallen off."
READ NEXT:
Visitors to Formby Beach hit with £400 fine warning
Property developer emailed council boss over Festival Gardens
Builders with gold watches, straw hats and sandals upset neighbours
