Under My Car Seat, I Found Something Growing — And It Was Far More Dangerous Than I Ever Imagined
It was supposed to be a simple Saturday chore. I’d finally decided to tackle the mess in my car: the crumbs, the coffee stains, and the crumpled fast-food wrappers that had been hiding under the seats for months.
But when I reached under the back seat, I brushed against something dry and brittle that made me pause.
At first, it seemed harmless — a piece of dead plant matter, maybe a leaf or stem that had blown in through the window or gotten stuck to someone’s shoe. Its brown, curled shape and flaky surface looked exactly like the kind of debris you’d expect to find in a neglected car. I almost ignored it.
Then I looked closer.
The texture was wrong — stiffer than a plant stem, almost unnatural. When I picked it up, I noticed faint, hair-like spines along the surface. At first glance, they looked like fuzz. But something about them triggered an instinctive warning in the back of my mind. I remembered reading about certain insects and plants that could look ordinary while hiding dangerous defenses. Suddenly, I wasn’t so sure this was just a dried-up twig.
I grabbed a tissue, carefully placed it in a plastic bag, and snapped a few photos before starting an online search. Within minutes, my stomach dropped.
What I’d found wasn’t a plant at all. It was the shed skin of a Lonomia caterpillar — one of the most venomous caterpillars on Earth.
Native to South America, the Lonomia is a master of disguise. It blends into bark, dried leaves, or debris so well that most people never notice it until it’s too late. Even its discarded skin can be hazardous: those delicate spines often retain traces of venom, and contact can still be dangerous.
The venom is particularly terrifying. It disrupts the blood’s ability to clot, which can trigger internal bleeding, organ failure, and, in severe cases, death. Simply brushing against one can embed spines into your skin. Even inhaling particles from them can cause respiratory problems.
The idea that this creature — or at least what was left of it — had been under my back seat, inches away from me and my family, made me shiver. How had it gotten there? Had it hitched a ride on a bag or shoe? Had it come from somewhere I had parked? I had no answers, only unease.
I called pest control immediately. After looking at the photos, they confirmed the identification and came to dispose of it safely. They also inspected my car thoroughly to make sure no others were hiding nearby.
The whole experience left me shaken. We tend to think of deadly wildlife as something far away — deep in jungles or remote forests. But the truth is, threats can turn up anywhere, even under the seat of your car on an ordinary Saturday morning.
Now, whenever I clean out my car or house, I treat anything unfamiliar with caution. I keep gloves nearby, I bag anything I can’t immediately identify, and I never take a strange object for granted.
That morning could have ended with nothing more than a forgotten piece of trash. Instead, it became a stark reminder: sometimes the things that look most ordinary can be the most dangerous.