It started out as a regular day—but ended in an ‘otherworldly’ experience!

A Queensland resident was left in awe when they stumbled across a totally unique and truly alien-looking creature that had been hanging from the side of their house.

Posting on an online forum, the Aussie user said they initially thought the strange 'thing' was just a clump of sticks or a piece of bark—but after a closer inspection realised it was surprisingly… moving!

Is this ‘bundle of sticks’ an extraterrestrial creature? Credit: Reddit

'Just saw this alien thing outside my back door, it moves so it’s alive,' they wrote.

'Pen has been added for scale, Google came up with a dehydrated katydid and it looks nothing like that. Please help identify and should I burn my house down? I was freaked out when I saw its head. I thought it may attach but it moves very slowly.'

The post attracted almost a hundred comments from others hypothesising what the animal may be.

'I have one at my house too and I have been wondering what the actual f*** it was. Mine just looks like an innocent piece of bark until you see it move, it's horrific,' one person commented.

What Is It?

With a bit of investigating, the mystery creature was identified as a case moth.

The particular moth has been dubbed part 'part caterpillar, part plant' due to the creature's ability to construct its own 'mobile home'.

Research confirms that the ‘alien-looking’ moth is called the Metura Elongatus. Credit: Shutterstock

In the first picture shared, the outside of the animal's 'case' looks identical to a pile of twigs or a clump of bark.

But buried on the inside, the insect can be found, tucked away in its own little habitat.

The case has two openings. One is a larger 'mouth' through which the insect pokes out its head to feed and move. The second is a smaller hole at the opposite end where it excretes waste.

These caterpillars commonly attach themselves to fences and walls in urban settings, where they can be found tucked away in plain sight.

Case moths spend most of their lives as caterpillars in their unique cases, which may last for up to 1 or 2 years in some species.

It turns out, these bugs aren’t just fascinating—they’re also quite crafty!

Key Takeaways

• A Queensland resident found a bizarre, 'alien-looking' creature hanging from their back door, thinking it was just a clump of sticks or bark.
• The creature moved and looked like part caterpillar, part plant creature that constructs its own mobile home.
• The creature was identified as a case moth often seen in urban settings attached to fences and walls.
• The case moth, also known as a bag moth or bagworm, spends most of its life in its constructed case which it rarely leaves.

So if you have ever stumbled across one of these creatures, we’d love for you to share your stories and pictures in the comments below.

And if you have any other tips or facts on our unique and weirdly wonderful Aussie wildlife, then please let us know in the comments below too!

 

[MariaG]

Like I have said before, it's the not knowing that will drive you nuts.

 

[Woodcutter]

I am 80 and have seen these all of my life but when you spend your early years playing games on your phone or iPad, you don’t learn about the country in which you live. I can’t believe an adult Australian was “horrified”. Really? Get outside and live.

 

[Big M]

I am 80 and have seen these all of my life but when you spend your early years playing games on your phone or iPad, you don’t learn about the country in which you live. I can’t believe an adult Australian was “horrified”. Really? Get outside and live.

Exactly!!!!

 

[Joydie]

Your friendly neighbourhood grammar pedant here. What is the current craze for using the word 'mortified' incorrectly? Mortified means embarrassed or ashamed. As in: 'I was mortified when I realised that Mary overheard me saying nasty things about her.'

Why would the online community be embarrassed or ashamed that a woman found casemoths in her home? They might be interested, concerned, curious, or even amused, but I have no idea why someone reading about this online would feel ashamed or embarrassed.

'Mortified' seems to be popping up all over the place, and I've almost never seen it used correctly in recent months. Also, for several months now, every man and his dog find it necessary to describe anything even remotely pleasant as 'sweet'. It's becoming really overused.

 

[Cyberchook]

I am 80 and have seen these all of my life but when you spend your early years playing games on your phone or iPad, you don’t learn about the country in which you live. I can’t believe an adult Australian was “horrified”. Really? Get outside and live.

We would see these insects and others with curiosity when we were kids. Why make such a drama over an insect anyhow.. put those addictive electronic phones and gizmos away and go outside and look at what is living in your garden and surroundings. Sadly many species have been lost by intense and extending urban building and continue to. Humans are the danger, not the bark caterpillar.

 

[Ricki]

I am 80 and have seen these all of my life but when you spend your early years playing games on your phone or iPad, you don’t learn about the country in which you live. I can’t believe an adult Australian was “horrified”. Really? Get outside and live.

YES YES YES well said Woodcutter

 

[Lynjw]

It started out as a regular day—but ended in an ‘otherworldly’ experience!

A Queensland resident was left in awe when they stumbled across a totally unique and truly alien-looking creature that had been hanging from the side of their house.

Posting on an online forum, the Aussie user said they initially thought the strange 'thing' was just a clump of sticks or a piece of bark—but after a closer inspection realised it was surprisingly… moving!

View attachment 29699

Is this ‘bundle of sticks’ an extraterrestrial creature? Credit: Reddit

'Just saw this alien thing outside my back door, it moves so it’s alive,' they wrote.

'Pen has been added for scale, Google came up with a dehydrated katydid and it looks nothing like that. Please help identify and should I burn my house down? I was freaked out when I saw its head. I thought it may attach but it moves very slowly.'

The post attracted almost a hundred comments from others hypothesising what the animal may be.

'I have one at my house too and I have been wondering what the actual f*** it was. Mine just looks like an innocent piece of bark until you see it move, it's horrific,' one person commented.

What Is It?

With a bit of investigating, the mystery creature was identified as a case moth.

The particular moth has been dubbed part 'part caterpillar, part plant' due to the creature's ability to construct its own 'mobile home'.

View attachment 29703

Research confirms that the ‘alien-looking’ moth is called the Metura Elongatus. Credit: Shutterstock

In the first picture shared, the outside of the animal's 'case' looks identical to a pile of twigs or a clump of bark.

But buried on the inside, the insect can be found, tucked away in its own little habitat.

The case has two openings. One is a larger 'mouth' through which the insect pokes out its head to feed and move. The second is a smaller hole at the opposite end where it excretes waste.

These caterpillars commonly attach themselves to fences and walls in urban settings, where they can be found tucked away in plain sight.

Case moths spend most of their lives as caterpillars in their unique cases, which may last for up to 1 or 2 years in some species.

It turns out, these bugs aren’t just fascinating—they’re also quite crafty!

Key Takeaways

• A Queensland resident found a bizarre, 'alien-looking' creature hanging from their back door, thinking it was just a clump of sticks or bark.
• The creature moved and looked like part caterpillar, part plant creature that constructs its own mobile home.
• The creature was identified as a case moth often seen in urban settings attached to fences and walls.
• The case moth, also known as a bag moth or bagworm, spends most of its life in its constructed case which it rarely leaves.

So if you have ever stumbled across one of these creatures, we’d love for you to share your stories and pictures in the comments below.

And if you have any other tips or facts on our unique and weirdly wonderful Aussie wildlife, then please let us know in the comments below too!

OMG I can’t believe that u didn’t know. I’ve seen these since I was a kid over 5 decades ago.