While the majority of animals is absolutely harmless to humans, it is nevertheless advisable to use caution while you are in the outdoors.

It had been a typical day out with the kids up until that point, but then she spotted a bizarre ball-shaped fuzzy creature. That’s what mother Leslie Howe did when she was at a small park with her family.

Georgian mother Leslie noticed a strange object close to her kids at the neighborhood playground. It had been a typical day out with the kids up until Leslie spotted a peculiar ball-shaped hairy creature.

The mother went with her gut. And it would prove to be a wise choice in the end. ”Feels like a wasp sting, but worse”

When the “fur ball” drew Leslie’s attention, she was in the park in Gwinnett County, Georgia, with her infant and two other young children. She felt a need to avoid it despite its modest size and first innocent-seeming appearance.

Even though this story was initially published a few years ago, it is again resurfacing online to alert all American parents to the threat.

Since that time, Leslie had hoped that by sharing her experience, others may be cautioned to avoid the suspicious fur ball, which was actually a Megalopyge Opercularis larva, also known as the puss caterpillar.

The name perhaps refers to how similar the caterpillar’s velvety fur is like that of a cat. The bug may inject venom, yet its exterior makes it appear innocuous. Hair covers the poisonous bristles underneath.

The majority of the US is home to these larvae, which can become up to around 1 inch in length. NPR said that they were “feasting on foliage in states between New Jersey and Florida and as far west as Texas.”