Gigantic Moth So Big It Can Barely Fly Discovered At School In Australia

Chris Lambkin, the curator of entomology at the Queensland Museum, said giant wood moths, or Endoxyla cinera, could be found from coastal Queensland down to southern NSW. While not uncommon they were rarely seen by humans, she said. Lambkin said this was likely due to several factors including the adult moths' short life span and the fact most people lived in urban areas where the invertebrate was not found. The female moths also don't fly very well, she said. So most people, if they do see one, it has emerged as an adult and crawled up a tree trunk or a fence post and is waiting for the male to come along. Normally people don't see them with their wings spread out so you don't realise just how big they are but if you actually lift them up they're very heavy.