It is on my bed sheet. The hairy part the the rear end. The length is about the diameter of a US dime (~18mm).
-
7$\begingroup$ I don't know about other uses but I am a bit bothered that so many US users are using their currency as unit of measurement. Please do not measure in US dime, US quarter, foot, banana or beer height but use the metric system! $\endgroup$– Remi.bJun 17, 2018 at 17:57
-
3$\begingroup$ @Remi.b - Americans don't know what the metric system is. Distance in feet, speed in miles per hour and fuel by the gallon ;-) $\endgroup$– AliceD ♦Jun 17, 2018 at 19:22
2 Answers
The other answer is most certainly incorrect. Silverfish are silver/grey and (like all members of the Zygentoma order) have three distinct, tail-like caudal appendages from their posterior end -- really, two large cerci with a central long filament. [Sources: 1, 2, 3].
The OP's specimen resembles the larva of a dermestid carpet beetle of some type; specifically, the location and appearance make me think it might be a black carpet beetle (Attagenus spp) -- for example A. unicolor.
Source: Univ of California Master Gardener Program of Contra Costa County Blog
Description:
Tell-tale characteristic: the tuft of numerous "hairs" on the posterior end:
The larvae of the black carpet beetle, which may reach 12.7 mm in length, are very different from other carpet beetles’ larvae. They are elongate, carrot-shaped, golden to chocolate brown, and have a tuft of very long, curled, golden-brown hair at the tail end of their body. [Source: Penn state Dept. of Entomology]
- A description from IFAS suggests that larvae develop stiff, bristlelike tails when older.
See bugguide.net for more pictures, such as this one
Pest:
According to many of the sources I've linked to already, the larva is the damaging life stage of this beetle.
It's hard to tell from the image quality, but is it a silverfish? It has roughly the same body shape and size:
(source: umn.edu)