Uploaded June 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
This caterpillar looks like a snake, both of them!
The snake-mimic caterpillar of Costa Rica — Hemeroplanes, likely Hemeroplanes triptolemus or Hemeroplanes ornatus based on the host plant — is a sphinx moth larva with one of the most extraordinary defense mechanisms in the insect world. When threatened, it retracts its legs and expands its anterior body segments to reveal convincing false eyes — mimicking the head of a pit viper well enough to fool predators and humans alike.
On this day, I found two of them on the same tree (Lacmellea panamanensis) — something extremely unusual, since a single caterpillar typically strips its host plant alone. Together, these two had eaten every leaf until nothing was left. With no food remaining, I made the decision to intervene and relocate them before they starved or descended to the forest floor.
This is unscripted field documentation from the Costa Rican rainforest — real time, real decisions, no staging!
———
🐍 Full "I'm NOT a Snake" Playlist:
youtube.com/playlist?list=PLXdXjNOCU90mEQTezjbeH9nQ-dmzmb8tT
———
CHAPTERS
0:00 – Discovery: Two on the same tree
1:30 – Why this caterpillar looks like a snake
3:00 – Why this is so unusual
4:30 – The rescue decision
6:00 – Relocation in the rainforest
———
Species: Hemeroplanes triptolemus / H. ornatus (Sphingidae — ID uncertain, host plant suggests H. ornatus)
Location: Costa Rica rainforest
Behavior: Snake mimicry, defensive display, host plant defoliation
———
#SnakeMimicCaterpillar #CaterpillarThatLooksLikeASnake #Hemeroplanes #CostaRicaWildlife #rainforestwildlife
Ocho Verde Wildlife documents the living rainforest of Costa Rica through authentic trail-camera footage, field observations, and documentary-style stories from the Ocho Verde Wildlife Refuge. We also record wildlife photography from the United States that mostly focuses on herpetology, including finding snakes.
Here you’ll find real animal behavior, herping discoveries, conservation stories, and the unexpected moments that make the rainforest so fascinating. Some videos let the jungle speak for itself through natural sound and closed captions, while others follow the detective work and personal experiences behind an encounter.
Our goal is to offer a respectful, evidence-based window into wild places while helping viewers better understand and appreciate the animals that live there.
Subscribe to explore the rainforest with us—and see what the cameras reveal next.
This caterpillar looks like a snake, both of them!
The snake-mimic caterpillar of Costa Rica — Hemeroplanes, likely Hemeroplanes triptolemus or Hemeroplanes ornatus based on the host plant — is a sphinx moth larva with one of the most extraordinary defense mechanisms in the insect world. When threatened, it retracts its legs and expands its anterior body segments to reveal convincing false eyes — mimicking the head of a pit viper well enough to fool predators and humans alike.
On this day, I found two of them on the same tree (Lacmellea panamanensis) — something extremely unusual, since a single caterpillar typically strips its host plant alone. Together, these two had eaten every leaf until nothing was left. With no food remaining, I made the decision to intervene and relocate them before they starved or descended to the forest floor.
This is unscripted field documentation from the Costa Rican rainforest — real time, real decisions, no staging!
———
🐍 Full "I'm NOT a Snake" Playlist:
youtube.com/playlist?list=PLXdXjNOCU90mEQTezjbeH9nQ-dmzmb8tT
———
CHAPTERS
0:00 – Discovery: Two on the same tree
1:30 – Why this caterpillar looks like a snake
3:00 – Why this is so unusual
4:30 – The rescue decision
6:00 – Relocation in the rainforest
———
Species: Hemeroplanes triptolemus / H. ornatus (Sphingidae — ID uncertain, host plant suggests H. ornatus)
Location: Costa Rica rainforest
Behavior: Snake mimicry, defensive display, host plant defoliation
———
#SnakeMimicCaterpillar #CaterpillarThatLooksLikeASnake #Hemeroplanes #CostaRicaWildlife #rainforestwildlife
Ocho Verde Wildlife documents the living rainforest of Costa Rica through authentic trail-camera footage, field observations, and documentary-style stories from the Ocho Verde Wildlife Refuge. We also record wildlife photography from the United States that mostly focuses on herpetology, including finding snakes.
Here you’ll find real animal behavior, herping discoveries, conservation stories, and the unexpected moments that make the rainforest so fascinating. Some videos let the jungle speak for itself through natural sound and closed captions, while others follow the detective work and personal experiences behind an encounter.
Our goal is to offer a respectful, evidence-based window into wild places while helping viewers better understand and appreciate the animals that live there.
Subscribe to explore the rainforest with us—and see what the cameras reveal next.
