Quick Take
- This creature looks like a starfish crossed with a slug, yet it's actually something far more familiar hiding in an extraordinary disguise. Discover this strange creature →
- Those wild, leg-like appendages aren't just for show. They serve a defense purpose that's equal parts clever and unsettling. See the defense mechanism →
- Touching one feels exactly like something most people try very hard to avoid, and the reason why is hidden just beneath its surface. Learn about its venomous spines →
- The adult form of this bizarre creature is so plain it's almost an insult, with no hint of what it used to be surviving the transformation. See the unremarkable adult form →
Crawling along a wooden beam at Wood Violet Farm in West Virginia, there is an animal that looks like a cross between a starfish and a slug. As this Instagram post illustrates, these creatures are orange, with a broad, textured body, and they lumber around the place in a very unnerving way! Meet the hag moth. A weird and wonderful animal that it’s best to keep your distance from.
What Are Hag Moths?
The hag moth (Phobetron pithecium) you see in this clip is actually a caterpillar, which is one of the moth’s life stages. As adults (moths), they are unremarkable, but the caterpillar stage is quite something! You may find one in the eastern half of the United States. They like to live in shrubby fields and deciduous forests, and you can hardly miss them.
Their wide shape is formed by multiple pairs of fleshy appendages that look like twisted legs. In fact, these are removable parts of their body that will break off if they are attacked by a predator. This is likely a self-defense mechanism. It’s better to lose an appendage than your life! The caterpillar’s actual legs are underneath its body.
Many believe the hag moth, also known as the monkey slug caterpillar, is one of North America’s strangest caterpillars.
©Some rights reserved by Judy Gallagher – Original / License
Most hag moth caterpillars are reddish to grayish brown and covered in short, brown hairs. They grow to around one inch in length. Beneath their appendages, there are hollow spines connecting to toxin glands in the skin. If you come into contact with these, it is much like a bee sting. That’s why it’s best to keep your distance.
Turning Into a Moth
The caterpillars spend their time wandering around looking for food. They only have small legs, so they have a rolling motion when they walk. They are termed a generalist feeder, which means that they are not that fussy about what they eat. Their diet includes shade trees and ornamental shrubs. Ideally, they like plants such as roses, alder, and spirea. You may also find them on ash, oak, and apple trees. They feed on plant leaves and rarely cause major damage to the plant.
Their life cycle begins with an egg, which hatches into a larva (caterpillar). The caterpillars are seen in late summer, but there can be more than one generation in some areas.
After pupating, the caterpillars transform into adult moths. The females are stout and furry and range from tan to dark brown. The males look similar but have transparent patches on their wings. There is no hint at the extraordinary creature they once were!
