Enormous Moth So Big It Can Barely Fly Found at School in Australia
Written by SOURCE on May 5, 2021
A tradesman working at a construction site for a school in Queensland, Australia made a gross discovery that likely would’ve freaked out most people when he came across a massive moth. The insect or whatever moths are was the size of *thinks for a long time* I don’t know but look at this picture:
The principal of the school, Meagan Steward, called the moth an “amazing find.” The New Zealand Herald adds that staff and students at the place weren’t shocked because their school sits on the edge of a rainforest, and they’ve seen a lot of weird creatures nearby.
The principal says the bug was as big as two fists put together (should’ve used that above) and that it ended up getting put back in the rainforest. “We weren’t at school when the builders found the moth but they took some photos for us,” she told ABC radio.
The head of entomology at the Queensland Museum, Dr. Christine Lambkin, said the unholy beast is a giant wood moth. She also said it was the world’s heaviest type of its species. She said they get as big as 30 grams, which is only .066 pounds (a little disappointing). Wingspans for the species’ females stretch up to 25 centimeters. The males are smaller.
She added that they “fly very, very poorly.” And also that “in most cases when the females emerge, they just crawl up a tree or stump of a fence post and wait for the males to find them.”
Want more moth facts? No?
She says the things’ caterpillars are witchetty grubs. Traditional Aboriginal people sometimes eat them, The Australian pointed out. They’re not common, but the people around there can find them in the summer.
“This particular species is very interesting because we don’t know what actually happens for the first year or so,” Dr. Lambkin added. “The first thing we do know is they’re a grub that’s about 4cm long and appears on tree trunks, is black and white striped and burrows into eucalyptus trees, then spends a year or so eating away.”
