What is THAT? Mystery Australian creature filmed by backpacker baffles the internet
- Baffled backpacker posted a video of a bizarre-looking creature on Facebook
- Social media users suggested a number of outlandish things the animal could be
- A entomologist from the University of Sydney has since identified the animal
The internet has gone wild after a baffled backpacker posted a video of a bizarre-looking alien-like animal online.
Social media users have been left racking their brains as they try to identify the unknown creature after Guy Shlomi posted a clip of the abnormal animal he stumbled across in Lake Bolac, in Victoria's Western District.
In an attempt to try and solve the mystery, Mr Shlomi took to social media to share a video of the unidentified animal to the Australia Backpackers Facebook group.
One social media user suggested the animal (pictured) was an 'alien' and declared 'Men In Black is real'
Alongside a short video clip of the unknown specimen, Mr Shlomi wrote: ‘Just another alien in Australia.’
In the video, a small sausage-like animal with a lengthy tail can be seen shuffling across a white surface before it appears to settle down in one spot.
The short clip has sent social media users' imaginations wild, with many coming up with a whole host of outlandish suggestions as to what the mysterious creature could be.
One user compared the animal to an alien and declared: ‘Men in Black is real’.
Another user admitted they couldn’t watch the video until the end for fear of it making them jump.
They wrote: ‘That’s so creepy I didn’t even watch it until the end for fear of this being one of those jump scare videos.’
Dr Tanya Latty, an entomologist at the University of Sydney, has identified the mysterious beast as a rat-tailed maggot.
‘They are not harmful and are in fact beneficial insects. They are the larvae of drone flies which are pollinators,’ she explained to Yahoo News.
Daily Mail Australia has reached out to Mr Shlomi for comment.
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Dr Tanya Latty, an entomologist at the University of Sydney, confirmed the creature was a rat-tailed maggot
