Woman Told To 'Get An Exorcist' After Finding Weird Animal In The Garden

A woman was told to 'get an exorcist' after her grandparents found a weird creature in their garden.

Britt Whitmarsh, from Haslington, Cheshire, was on FaceTime with her family when they showed her the bizarre critter.

Unsure as to what it was, she then posted a photo of the animal to her Facebook page, asking her friends if they could help.

But with most people at a loss, she instead received some fairly frank advice.

Commenting on the post, one startled user simply said: "Get an exorcist."

Britt Whitmarsh

While another joked: "Yeah, basically burn the garden down to its roots ... or, move house."

Speaking to Cheshire Live about the find, Britt said she wasn't sure what to make of it at first.

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 and petals or leaves that have fallen off."

Luckily, however, Britt will neither have to destroy her grandparents' lovely garden nor pay for the services of an exorcist.

Jean Pierre Hamon

That's because Animal and Plant Director at Chester Zoo, Mike Jordan, confirmed the insect was just an Elephant Hawkmoth.

He explained that when the animal is threatened, it inflates the segments behind its head to mimic a snake and scare off any would-be 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 it has passed through its caterpillar stage, it becomes a beautiful golden moth with striking pink streaks across its wings and body.

But Britt's family aren't the only ones who've come across some weird creatures recently.

Florida Museum

So-called 'penis snakes' have started appearing in southern Florida, putting the willies right up the local residents.

As the climate continues to change, it's becoming commonplace for regions of the world to suddenly find themselves home to various strange species previously unknown to the territory.

In the south of Florida - itself one of the southern US states - this has meant an influx of plants and animals from central and south American, the most shocking and horribly-named being the penis snake.

Formally known as a caecilian - biologists are smart enough to give the species a proper name - the creatures are native to Colombia and Venezuela in South America, but more recently have also been seen in the Tamiami Canal near Miami International Airport.

Topics: Funny, Facebook, Weird

Dominic Smithers

Dominic graduated from the University of Leeds with a degree in French and History. Like you, Dom has often questioned how much use a second language has been. Well, after stints working at the Manchester Evening News, the Accrington Observer and the Macclesfield Express, along with never setting foot in France, he realised the answer is surprisingly little. But I guess, c'est la vie. Contact us at [email protected]

@SmithersDom