A woman shared the moment she was told to call an exorcist after her grandparents discovered a weird creature in her home.

Britt Whitmarsh from Haslington, Cheshire was talking to her family via a video call when her grandparents showed her the animal.

The critter looked like a dried-up snake but it was alive and moving, so she posted a snap of the critter on Facebook, asking her friends if knew what it was.

“Truthfully I thought it was an old dried-up snake until it started moving,” Britt wrote.

“My grandparents spotted it this morning. My nan goes out every morning to de-head any died off flowers and pick up and petals or leaves that have fallen off.”

Facebook users started speculating about what the unsettling creature could be, with one person commenting: “Get an exorcist.”

Another internet user wrote: “Yeah, basically burn the garden down to its roots … or, move house.”

Fortunately, some people knew what the animal was and said that it was just an Elephant Hawkmoth caterpillar.

Mike Jordan, the Animal and Plant Director at Chester Zoo, confirmed the creature was an Elephant Hawkmoth.

When the insect is disturbed, it inflates the segments behind its head to mimic a snake and scare off predators.

“This is a Large Elephant Hawkmoth (Deilephila elpenor),” 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.”

Once the caterpillar changes to moth, it is golden-olive with bright pink bars on the body and wings.

One person commented: “The moths are stunning – they’re in for a treat once it’s metamorphosized.”

Another wrote: “Sad just how little people know about nature these days.”

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