Mothra might not be real (*sighs*), but best believe nature has tried its level best to create some behe-moths of its own. There’s the Atlas moth, of course, but… oh damn, what’s that in the distance? Is it a small bird? A delightfully fluffy little alien? Nope – it’s the giant wood moth (Endoxyla cinereus), and it’s the heaviest moth on the planet.
Big ol’ bug
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Okay, so the giant wood moth isn’t exactly of kaiju proportions, but in insect terms, it’s still pretty hefty; some female members of this species have a wingspan of around 23 centimeters (9 inches) and can weigh up to 30 grams (1.1 ounces).
If you’ve got a standard AA battery hanging about, pop that in your hand – that’s about the same weight, give a few grams (and much less terrifying to hold, depending on how you feel about giant insects).
Males, however, are around half the size of the females – further evidence that sexual dimorphism in the animal world doesn’t always mean that males are the larger of the two.
Being so heavy also means that the giant wood moth isn’t much of a flier.
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“They fly very, very poorly,” Dr Christine Lambkin – who, prior to retirement, was Curator of Entomology at Queensland Museum – told ABC News. “In most cases when they emerge, the females, they just crawl up a local tree or stump of a fence post and sit there and wait for males to find them.”
Where are giant wood moths found?
If we’ve got you wondering where best to go (or where to avoid going) to see a giant wood moth, you’d best mosey on over to Australia – they’re primarily found in Queensland and New South Wales.
However, spotting one of these giants in their adult form is rare. They spend much of their three to four-year lifespan as larvae, commonly known as witchetty grubs. Even seeing one of these grubs can be uncommon – they’re typically burrowed deep within trees.
“They stay like that for two or three years, with a central bore right in [the] centre of [the] tree and then just before they turn into a pupa, they cut out a circle of bark … and build a series of defences against ants and other insects,” Ted Edwards, honorary fellow of the Australian National Insect Collection, told ABC News.
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Once they emerge from their chrysalis, the female adult giant wood moths are not long for this world, and are unable to eat or drink.
“They only live for a few days as adults,” explained Lambkin. “They emerge, they mate, they lay eggs, they die.”
Ooft.
Source Link: Meet The Giant Wood Moth, The Absolute Chonker That Is The World’s Heaviest Moth
