People are Freaking Out Over ‘Nightmare’ Moth Found in Indonesia

A creepy insect with the wings of a harmless moth and furry tentacles of a mutated creature from a “Resident Evil” game recently went viral on social media.

After capturing a video of the insect, Facebook user Gandik, from Semarang, Central Java, uploaded the clip on his page for everyone else to see.

“Just found a butterfly like this,” the man wrote in the video’s caption.

The clip has been shared over 200,000 times, accumulating over 40,000 comments in the span of one week.

As the moth is not the type usually seen by many, a majority of commenters expressed a mix of terror and disgust for the creature.

Neither a Pokemon nor an alien creature, the unfamiliar insect was soon identified as a species of arctiine moth called Creatonotos Gangis, which is reportedly found in SouthEast Asia and northern Australia.

According to a page dedicated to the unassuming insect, the scary-looking appendages from the Creatonotos’ abdomen actually serve a “sexy” purpose:

“The moth’s characteristic that really turns heads are those massive furry things streaking away from the Creatonotos’ abdomen; those dangly organs are its scent organs, called coremata. The coremata (or hair-pencils) produce the pheromone hydroxydanaidal to attract their mates.”

It may look unsightly to many, but the insect is known to be completely harmless to humans and should not cause panic in case one comes across it at home.

Feature Image via FaceBook / Gandik

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