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Photo of the Atlas moth
AsiaNot evaluated

Atlas moth

Attacus atlas

One of the biggest moths in the world, from the forests of South-East Asia.

Weight
About 25 g
Size
Up to 25 cm wingspan
Lifespan
Adults live 1–2 weeks
Top speed
Slow flier
Diet
Only as a caterpillar: leaves

How heavy is that?

So light that a 40 kg kid weighs as much as 1,600 of them

Where it lives

Three things to know

  1. Adults have no working mouth and never eat.
  2. Its wing tips look like snake heads, to scare predators.
  3. The silk from its cocoons has been used to make purses.
Try the body explorerSee its neighbours

Compare with…

Weight
Atlas moth25 g
A 10-year-old kid40 kg
The kid weighs about 1,600× as much as the Atlas moth
Size
Atlas moth25 cm
A 10-year-old kid1.4 m
The kid is about 6× as big as the Atlas moth
Top speed
Atlas moth—
A 10-year-old kid20 km/h
Too slow to time
Lifespan
Atlas moth2.08 wks
A 10-year-old kid80 yrs
The kid can live about 2,000× as long as the Atlas moth

Food chain

  1. LeavesProducer
  2. Atlas mothThis animal
  3. Gecko