HSINCHU, TAIWAN — Video of a bizarre, alien-looking insect crawling across rocks in northern Taiwan has been baffling the interwebs after it was posted on Facebook.
The creature was discovered by hiker Meilan Huang in Hsinchu. When she first saw it, she thought it was barbed wire. Just when she went to pick it up, the object came to life and started crawling around.
After posting it to her hiking group on Facebook, members of the group are taking some wild guesses. Some say it's a proof of aliens, while others say It could be a new creature borne from a genetic mutation that we have never seen before.
An entomologist in Taiwan told Taiwan's Apple Daily that the mysterious creature is actually nematomorpha[d] — also known as horsehair worms. In some cases, the worms can grow to about six feet[e] in length.
According to University of Kentucky's entomology department, horsehair worms develop in the bodies of insects like mantis, grasshoppers, crickets and cockroaches, and are typically found near wet areas.