When people think of Australia and the wildlife to be feared, they think of snakes and spiders, sharks and crocodiles… they probably don’t think of moths the size of your hand. A construction worker at a school in Queensland found this female wood moth…
We have the largest species of wood moths in the world with the female averaging 30g (1oz) and wingspans up to 25cm (10″) – the males are smaller. This female is a particularly large specimen.
The females don’t really fly, they crawl up a tree stump and wait for the males to find them. Interestingly, the larvae of the wood moth are called witchetty grubs and are a staple food of our indigenous people.
Would you jump if you came across a moth this big?
May 10, 2021 at 10:52 pm
Ohhhhhhh no no no no no no no!!!!
May 11, 2021 at 10:06 am
Haha, I thought this would appeal to you, GF 😉
May 11, 2021 at 10:10 am
Hahaha! I shared the picture with my friend. We were traumatized by a moth for like a solid week when we worked together
May 11, 2021 at 10:13 am
Oh no, that sounds like a story you need to share on your blog!
May 11, 2021 at 10:14 am
LOL nothing special. Working 3-11pm at a Tim Hortons, it was around the drive-thru window at night haha pretty sure it flew in once.
May 11, 2021 at 2:28 pm
Oooh, traumatic, lol 😉
May 10, 2021 at 11:56 pm
Oh my! Will they beat me to death with their wings?
May 11, 2021 at 10:07 am
Oh yes, deadly, lol. Totally harmless moth, just big.
May 11, 2021 at 2:58 am
I once heard that Australia is where the devil keeps his pets. That moth looks like if she takes off she’ll take the shovel and the guy holding it with her…
May 11, 2021 at 10:08 am
I guess we do have the Tasmanian Devil. Lucky for him she doesn’t want to fly.
May 11, 2021 at 3:30 am
I would like to say no, but it looks like it would blend in really well. I have jumped a few times, once when I figured that the top of a post I was working by was really a Night-jar
Another time was when my resting hand was inches from a Moccasin that I didn’t see because it blended so well with its environs.
May 11, 2021 at 10:10 am
Yeah, it’s the surprise factor that is scary with a lot of animals. I was geocaching in country Victoria and when I pulled a lid of some pvc tubing there was a giant huntsman spider on the underside of the lid (about the size of my hand). Poor thing, I flung the lid away from me because it surprised me and I like huntsman!
May 11, 2021 at 3:59 am
Now that’s a MOTH! I would definitely be startled, but how cool!
May 11, 2021 at 10:11 am
They are really cool. We have one this far south that is darker. I haven’t been lucky enough to see one, but Jeckle has.
May 11, 2021 at 9:28 am
I think I’d jump and scream. And I’m not a screamer.
May 11, 2021 at 10:12 am
Animals like this are definitely have the shock value. Once your heart settles you realise it’s just a moth.