Guy Notices A Strange Object On His Wall — Then Realizes It's Alive

The other day, Andrew James had just stepped out the front door of his home in Australia when he caught a glimpse of something unusual.

There, attached to the wall of his house, was what appeared to be an odd clump of dried leaves and debris formed in a strange array.

“First, I thought it was from the palm [trees near the house],” James told The Dodo. “I began to look closely because I hadn’t seen anything quite like that before.”

There was more to this clump than meets the eye.

As James leaned in to get a better peek, he saw that the clump wasn’t as lifeless as he’d thought.

“I noticed it moving very slightly from side to side,” James said. “It looked alien. Then I saw the tiny orange head peer out of the top, so I knew it was alive.”

Unsure of what he’d stumbled upon, James consulted a local online forum with photos of the peculiar find. And before long, he got an answer.

The animal was a case moth caterpillar — a species native to the region who encase themselves in shells of sticky silk, upon which they affix plant material to serve as camouflage.

It was unlike anything James had seen before.

Had the case moth caterpillar not decided to rest on the side of his house, James likely would have never noticed he was not alone.

So, to help the little guy better blend, James relocated him to his garden.

It had been a chance encounter that revealed a previously unknown wonder of nature for James.

“[I] was amazed at the life of the moth,” he said. “It is truly fascinating.”