Camera Critters - The Atlas Moth

Camera Critters is another wonderful meme hosted by Misty Dawn. You can find other critter photos by clicking on the icon above. Thank you Misty.

I found this photo while looking for another and for some reason I immediately connected with it, like a moth to the flame – sorry about that but I couldn’t resist. My photo isn't the sharpest. I had to crop it and the smaller one looks better than the larger version.

I had to look up the following information because I had long forgotten its name, knew it was some kind of gigantic moth but that’s about it. To those of you who don't know, this lovely creature is called an Atlas Moth. It gets its name because its wing patterns resemble maps. The wing tips are hooked and some say resemble a snake’s head complete with the eye, to scare off predators.

Atlas Moths are found in the tropical and subtropical forests of Southeast Asia, southern China, are common across the Malay archipelago, Thailand to Indonesia. I didn’t find mine anywhere that exotic, I only wish. It was in one of the butterfly gardens I have visited over the years. My photo is at least five years old.

In India, Atlas moths are cultivated for their silk in a non-commercial capacity. Unlike that produced by the related Silkworm moth, that of the Atlas moth is secreted as broken strands. This brown, wool-like silk is thought to have greater durability and is known as fagara. Their cocoons have been uses as purses in Taiwan.