Are These Weird Snake-Like Caterpillars Found in Illinois & Wisconsin Dangerous to Humans?

Have you ever been working in your garden or taking a hike in the woods in Illinois or Wisconsin when you spotted a creature that looked like this...

Or this...

Or, OMG, this...?!?

I'm telling you right now that if I see one of these snake-looking things in my garden this summer I will RUN away screaming...even though I now know it just a swallowtail caterpillar.

Interesting Facts About Swallowtail Caterpillars

Nature is a pretty cool place to be, explore, and enjoy, but I am NOT a fan of insects...no matter what they become or what their purpose on Earth is. That being said, I am quite fascinated by the ugly duckling like tale of swallowtail caterpillars.

In case you haven't figure it out by now, swallowtail caterpillars turn into gorgeous swallowtail butterflies, and there are 7 different species of this kind of caterpillar that live in Illinois and Wisconsin. Here are two you might spot most often...

Those butterflies might be gorgeous and a major asset to our ecosystem, but why do their caterpillar forms have to creepy fake eyes? To stay alive, that's why.

Why Do Swallowtail Caterpillars Have Fake Eyes?

Some swallowtail caterpillars can get very large, so those big fake eyes are a pretty genius way of protecting themselves from predators, especially birds. If you and I spot one and think it's a snake, you know the birds do too!

Swallowtail caterpillars defenses don't just begin and end at a fake pair of eyes though, some of these caterpillars actually grunt when bothered AND they have a little protruding antenna that lets off an odor that some people have described as smelling like stinky cheese.

@staceyenglishking 😂 #caterpillar#scarycaterpillar#nope#thenoiseitmade#haha#nomaam#nosir#nothankyou#foryou#foryoupage♬ original sound - Stacey English King