My Alien Encounter at Home: The Venomous Saddleback Caterpillar

I saw something strange on the floor in my house and didn’t even realize what it was. It lay motionless, like a piece of bright green plant, a torn-off part of some house vine, or perhaps a child’s toy that had fallen off the table.

I stood over it, trying to figure out what it was. The shape was too smooth, the color too bright, and the “horns” on the sides seemed plastic.

But as soon as I leaned in a little closer, the “thing” suddenly trembled. I froze. Then it abruptly moved and began to crawl.

I almost screamed in fear. The creature looked so strange, as if it had flown straight out of an *Alien* movie.

It slowly crawled across the floor, and dark spikes protruded from its body—long, thin, as if specifically warning, “Don’t touch me.”

When I found out what it really was, I was absolutely horrified. Fortunately, nothing happened to me.

Later, I learned it was a saddleback caterpillar. I could consider myself incredibly lucky: if I had picked it up, as I had intended in the first few seconds, everything could have ended very badly.

Its spines contain venom, which is injected into the skin upon the slightest touch. People experience sharp pain, redness, swelling, blisters, and sometimes even dizziness, nausea, and numbness.

Many people go to the hospital after contact because the pain is so intense it’s unbearable. I sat and read all this, feeling a chill run down my spine.

Just one wrong move, and I would have been lying there with a swollen hand.

What should I do if I accidentally touch it?

First, carefully remove the spines with tape. Then wash with soap and water, apply ice, and if the reaction is severe, take an antihistamine and consult a doctor.

I carefully swept the caterpillar into a jar with a broom and released it far away in the garden. Let it live, but not in my house.

Since then, if I see something strange on the floor, I think twice before touching it.