ANiMAL MUNDi: Poodle Moth - Fact or Fiction by Corinna of TheFrogBag

by Corinna of TheFrogBag

Photos courtesy of Arkive.com

Poodle Moth
Fact or Fiction ?

Have you seen the super cute, amazingly fuzzy, big-eared white moth that keeps popping up on social media? 

Here’s the most common photo that’s been making the rounds:

Sharp-eyed crafters probably won’t be surprised to learn that this beast is not a real, wild-caught example of a little-known species, but in fact is a needle-felted “model” of a silkworm moth, according to Snopes. 

So is there actually such a creature as a “poodle moth”? Happily, yes! It’s not quite as cute and cuddly though, looking more like a weird little alien than a poodle:

Very little is known about actual poodle moths. The species is new (or at least new to science), only having been discovered in 2009 by Dr. Arthur Anker in Venezuela. It’s probably a member of the genus Artace, and there may be several closely related species. Chances are that it’s confined to the neotropics, eats herbaceous plants at some point during its life cycle, and is related to the muslin moth. Its wingspan is only about an inch, nowhere near the size of its needle-felted doppelganger. 

Why is so little known about it? 

Like many small, jungle-dwelling species it is incredibly hard to find and has seemingly only been photographed once. That one source is quite reliable though so chances are that there are more poodle moths out there, waiting for their chance in the limelight. 

Meanwhile, it’s pretty hard to study an animal that can’t be found so a proper scientific name and a catalogue of its habits and preferred habitats will have to wait. Until then, let’s give proper credit to the creator of the lovely critter in the first photo, and marvel at the strange animal in the second.