I saw the strangest creature today and cannot find anything even slightly resembling it on any bug identification websites. It wasn't like anything I could see. Perhaps some expert here can help? (I know nothing about bugs/pests...)

It was black, about 1-2 mm high and "stood" on one end waving its body around. To move, it dropped its "head" part, forming a hoop with its body, then seemed to jump its back end near the head, and lifted the head again, standing swaying. It was no thicker than a hair so I could not see if it had any legs, wings or whatever. There seemed to be no difference in thickness in any part of the body, and no visible head.

It was on a piece of paper on my desk. We had the office carpets cleaned over the weekend. Perhaps this has something to do with that? It didn't lie flat or wriggle horizontally, so it didn't seem like any sort of centipede. It was most definitely alive though, and moved quite quickly!

WEest thing I've seen in a long time! Any idea what it was?

This sounds like a description of a caterpillar of a moth. They live generally on trees, and resemble sticks, which protects them against birds. If scared, they bring their "head" portion of the body up and freeze. That's when they resemble a small leafless branch.
If it was a caterpillar, it had nothing to do with your carpet and probably got in through a window. They eat vegitation and are absolutely harmless.

Dan Osipov

Thanks for your response Dan. It just didn't look like any sort of caterpillar because it was so tiny.... as fine as a hair and only about 2 mm long (less than one tenth of an inch). It was certainly too small to look like a branch. More like a live eyelash!!!

It could be a sawfly larva also. These aren't actually a fly (diptera), they are in the bees and wasps family (hymenoptera). Their larva commonly does a defence pose much like what you described. I'm not saying catipillars dont do that as well...its just another possibility.

It looks like a pretty caterpillar of a moth not an Alien !!!!

Don't worry he has taken your carpet as a new landscape to discover.....

Regards

To me it sounds like a Geometrid moth (inchworm moth) or a looper moth. If it were a sawfly there would be prolegs on every segment and therefore wouldn't make the arch to bring the back of the body to the front.