Atlas Moth: One of the largest moths in the world larger than a human hand, watch video

A video of an Atlas moth making rounds on the internet recently has left netizens absolutely amazed. The short clip posted on Twitter shows the moth sitting on the someone’s palm covers most of it. People have also questioned whether it is real at all. however, it is very much real, and it indeed is that big as well.

Atlas moth or Attacus atlas is one of the largest species of moths in the world. It is found primarily in dry tropical forests, secondary forests, and shrublands across South Asia, East Asia, and Southeast Asia. Though native to Asia, one of these was photographed Bellevue, Washington in July 2022. That was the first time one of these was seen in US. This huge moth has a wingspan measuring up to 24 cm or 9.4 inches. It has a wing surface of about 160 cm sq feet. The body is small compared to the wingspan.

The Atlas moth has a very short, vestigial proboscis, and they do not eat once they have emerged from the cocoon, relying on fat storage for energy. Every flight takes valuable energy and can take days off their already short lives, as it has a very short life span of only one to two weeks.

They conserve energy by flying as little as possible. A female will wait for a male to come along and be fertilised, lay eggs and die.

Atlas moths are named after Atlas, the Titan of Greek mythology (due to their size). In Hong Kong, the Cantonese means “snake’s head moth”, referring to the prominent extension of the forewing which bears resemblance to the head of a snake.

In India, Atlas moths are cultivated for their silk in a non-commercial capacity. Unlike silk produced by the related domestic silkmoth (Bombyx mori), Atlas moth silk is secreted as broken strands and is therefore less desirable. This brown, wool-like silk, known as fagara, is thought to have greater durability.

Watch the viral video of the atlas moth doing round on social media here:

The atlas butterfly, seen in Sri Lanka, Indonesia and Malaysia, is the largest known butterfly in the world with a wingspan of 30 centimeters. The wing surface of the butterfly, decorated with the figure of a cobra snake, reaches 400 square centimeters🦋 pic.twitter.com/a1uvTmdvM9

— Tansu YEĞEN (@TansuYegen) December 25, 2022

It has been incorrectly written in the status that it is an Atlas butterfly. Many people have corrected the original poster in the comments as well.

The pattern on its wings resemble a cobra. It is a great adaptation to ward of predators. When the moth moves its wings, it appears like a snake is swaying in its trademark style before striking.