Bizarre rat-tailed creature lurking in murky water leaves internet creeped out yet captivated | Trending

A strange video surfaced on Reddit, posted by user u/TheOddityCollector, who captured an unusual aquatic creature lurking in what appears to be stagnant water. The short clip, just under a minute long, shows what looks like a rat with a tail from beneath the surface. The caption simply asks, “Can anyone tell me what this is?”

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The unusual creature, seen floating just on the surface of stagnant water, sparked a wave of curiosity and confusion online. With its elongated, worm-like body and slow, drifting movements, the mysterious organism prompted thousands of Reddit users to jump into the comments, eager to solve the mystery behind its strange appearance. The post quickly gained traction, as viewers shared guesses, scientific explanations, and personal encounters with similar creatures.

Take a look at the post:

One Redditor confidently chimed in, “Rat-tailed maggot. I work at a sewage plant and you cannot drive into the car park in the summer without running over hundreds of them.”

Another user added, “Drone fly larvae? They prefer stagnant water, so they have these long breathing siphons.”

A user wrote, “Ew bro put that fact away!”

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A user quipped, “A used tampon that absorbed the microscopic organisms in the water & became sentient.’

A user joked, “Resident Evil creature right there!”

One user noted, “Jackal…. It’s a jackal!!!!”

What is a rat-tailed maggot?

The rat-tailed maggot is the larval form of the drone fly (Eristalis tenax), a common insect that closely resembles a honeybee. These larvae thrive in stagnant, often unsanitary water, including sewage and compost. What gives them their name and makes them so visually jarring is the long, tail-like breathing tube they extend to the surface, allowing them to survive in oxygen-poor environments. However, the creature in the video is not determined to be a rat-tailed maggot.