Presenter Jemma McCarthy from Hertfordshire was startled upon seeing a peculiar insect that she compared to a "shark with wings" or the fattest butterfly ever. The young woman said she was shocked to discover that it was a Jurassic Park sex-crazed moth lurking inside her conservatory.
She shared a video online that shows the insect and how she caught the mysterious insect as she carried the container outside. She even jokingly said to her dog that it would eat her alive.
Poplar hawk-moth (Laothoe populi populi), Kondor Tanya, near Kecskemét, Hungary
Mysterious Gigantic Insect Lurking in A Conservatory
Shortly after rescuing the sex-crazed moth, McCarthy carried out some research on the insect and found that it is the Poplar Hawk that is famous for its mating rituals. According to Daily Star, wildlife experts said this creepy crawler could not bite and die as soon as they finished mating.
She told the news outlet that the insect looked like a fish with wings and had never seen anything like it before. For her, the gigantic insect looks like it came from Jurassic Park. When she heard it was a Poplar Hawk, she hurriedly locked the doors and got her dog inside, praying that it had not bred as they would not be welcome in her place.
Liverpool John Moores University's Natural Sciences and Psychology subject leader Alan Gunn previously emphasized that oversized insects are harmless. He noted that adult moths only fly around to mate and then die afterward. Technically, these insects have a short life and do not even get to eat and drink.
Experts believe that the Poplar Hawk appeared due to the soaring temperatures in the UK that climbed to 40 degrees Celsius, a record-breaking temperature in July. In August 2021, Manchester residents feared the sudden sightings of moths that looked like mini dragons.
Mike Jordan, the Animal and Plant Director at Chester Zoo, said that the poplar hawk (Lathoe populi) is a common British moth found all over the UK. He noted that insect usually surprises people because of their large, distinctive wings.
About Poplar Hawk
According to Wildlife Insight, the Poplar hawk is a member of the large Sphingidae family of hawkmoths commonly found in the British Isles and Europe. These insects have a wingspan of approximately 100mm and unusually hold their hindwings above their forewings when resting.
Poplar hawks fly in single generation during late spring and early summer, while their second generation usually occurs in the warmer parts of the region. Both male and female poplar hawks are attracted to light.
Aside from them, other types of hawkmoths commonly found in Europe include the Privet Hawkmoth, Eyed Hawkmoth, and Lime Hawkmoth. Some migrant hawkmoths are located in northern and southern Europe, the Middle East, and Africa.
Some of these species include the Death's head hawkmoth, convolvulus hawkmoths, the hummingbird hawkmoth, striped hawkmoth, and oleander hawkmoth.
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