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Sex-Seeking Giant Moths Have Awoken In The UK

Sex-Seeking Giant Moths Have Awoken In The UK

The Poplar Hawk moth has woken up due to the warm weather and they're on the lookout for love

Claire Reid

Claire Reid

In what is surely another sign that the end days are near, the UK is being invaded by giant, sex-loving moths.

The ginormous insects have been spotted on the Wirral, with shocked local residents taking to social media to share photos of the creepy buggers.

Liverpool Echo

Lyndsey Dixon spotted one of the massive moths in her garden and rather than killing it with fire, she managed to get the moth to land on her hand and took a photo.

A wildlife expert told the Liverpool Echo that the moths - the Poplar Hawk moth - make a 'sudden dramatic appearance' at this time of year.

He also assured people that the moths are completely harmless and described the bizarre life-cycle, which means they 'exist only to have sex'. I went to uni with someone like that.

Alan Gunn, who lectures in Natural Sciences and Psychology Liverpool John Moores University, told the paper: "As its name suggests, the caterpillars feed on the leaves of poplar trees. The caterpillars get very large but because they are green and feeding high up in the tree canopy, we do not know that they are there.

Liverpool Echo

"When they have finished feeding, the caterpillars crawl down to the ground and pupate over winter.

"The adult moths emerge at this time of year but do not live very long. Hence they make a sudden dramatic appearance and are then gone."

Being moths, they're drawn to light - so you might end up with one in your bedroom if you like to keep a window open during the warmer months.

Alan added: "They try and find somewhere dark and out of sight to rest during the day because birds find them very tasty. If you disturb the moths then they sometimes flash their underwings - this is a 'startle response'.

"However, they are totally harmless and cannot bite. Indeed, they are unable to feed because their proboscis is non-functioning. So attempting to give them a treat of sugar water or putting them on a flower will not help them.

"The adult moths exist only to fly around and have sex. After that, they die. It's a short life and you don't even get to eat and drink."

Professor Ilik Saccheri, Professor of Ecological Genetics at the University of Liverpool told the Liverpool Echo that, despite what many people have said, the moths this year aren't any bigger than usual.


He said: "They're totally harmless. During the daytime their main concern is not getting eaten by birds so they try and stay out of the sun and are completely inactive.

"They go to sleep as pupi for the winter then they pop out now. They are just in the business of having sex." Aren't we all, professor?

Featured Image Credit: Liverpool Echo

Topics: Viral, UK News, Weird