Elusive ‘moon’ creature —that lives without a mouth —spotted in Thailand park
While on duty Oct. 7, a park ranger at Thailand’s Kaeng Krachan National Park reported a sighting of an unusual butterfly with a long tail and fuzzy body.
Upon further inspection, wildlife experts were able to determine it was not a butterfly at all, but an elusive species of moth, according to a Facebook post from Kaeng Krachan National Park.
Actias maenas, also known as the Malaysian moon moth, is common but rarely seen given its short life span of about a week.
Like other moths in the giant silkmoth family, it’s born without functional mouthparts. Its primary function in adulthood is to mate and lay eggs, according to experts.
Malaysian moon moths are known for their furry bodies, feather-like antennae, massive wingspans and distinctive coloring and patterning.
The males have lemon yellow wings with brownish-pink and light brown to reddish-brown bands, and coppery sickle-shaped eyespots meant to deter predators, experts said.
Their hindwings have long, flag-shaped tails and dense hairs near the abdomen. The eyespots on the hindwings are oval or round, according to the post.
Females are paler in color, with large golden sickle-shaped eyespots, according to experts.
Park officials said they plan to conduct a thorough survey of the Malaysian moon moth population.
TranslateGPT was used to translate the Facebook post from Kaeng Krachan National Park into English.
This story was originally published October 8, 2025 at 5:05 PM with the headline "Elusive ‘moon’ creature —that lives without a mouth —spotted in Thailand park."
