DOZENS of readers phoned and e-mailed to identify the mystery animal featured in last week's Review.

It is a caterpillar of the pale tussock moth.

However, the caterpillar of the moth, which has the Latin name Dasychira Pudibunda, actually comes with a health warning.

Although it looks like a child's toy, contact with the poisonous hairs or spines that it is covered with can cause skin rashes, or even a hypersensitive reaction in some cases.