If You Ever See This Moth, Back Away Immediately And Get Somewhere Safe As Soon As You Can

While you probably think of moths as harmless creatures, though perhaps a bit gross, there is one species of these flying bugs that you need to watch out for. Several species of moths, ommonly known as vampire moths, actually feed on the blood of vertebrates including humans. Not because they have to, but because they like it…

Next time you see one of these flying bugs, which call many parts of the world home, make sure to steer clear or they’ll go in for a bite.

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Originally found only in Malaysia, the Urals, and Southern Europe, vampire moths are moving to more locations around the world because of global warming. Since climate change is steadily increasing the temperature around the world, these blood sucking insects are moving to more populated parts of the planet including northern Europe.

How do vampire moths such your blood?

These insects have a specially designed proboscis that can break through human flesh in much the same way a mosquito can. These proboscises come equipped with hooks that latch onto your skin and make it difficult to dislodge one of these creatures once it has the taste of your blood.

Unlike mosquitoes, only male moths suck human and other mammalian blood.

Some evolutionary biologists think that the moth’s ability to break skin to suck blood might have developed from an earlier moth’s ability to pierce fruit and suck out juice.

The vampire moth’s bite is more severe than a mosquito. But there has been no reason to worry that these blood-sucking creatures pose a threat to humans. Unlike mosquitos which carry viruses like Zika and more, nothing of the sort has been found with these moths to date.

There are eight different species of vampire moths that have been found to suck the blood from animals.

These creatures don’t need to suck blood to live. They WANT to. They can also pierce fruit and suck the juice out but many vampire moths crave human and other animal bloods because they can…

Researcher Kauri MIkkola from the Finnish Museum of Natural History at the University of Helsinki wrote that “A human being is a suitable target, having a bare skin. However, one would normally drive the moth away, while in this case a researcher was interested in the behavior of the creature.”

In the video below from National Geographic you’ll get an upclose look at these blood-sucking moths. But beware, you might not like what you see. In the clip, you’ll see that “bloodsucking moths have been found in Siberia — evidence of evolution at work, scientists say.”

Watch to see how the Siberian vampire moths dig their “hook and barbed lined tongues into the skin” and start sucking the blood from the human hands offered to them in the experiment.

“The bloodsucking can go on for several minutes.” Scientists said that some moths suck blood for more than 20 minutes.

And as one volunteer said in the study, “It’s starting to hurt.”

Scientists suspect that the blood is a “sexual gift” that gives a nutritional boost to young moth larvae that feed on leaf-rich but sodium-poor diets.

Please WATCH THE CLIP BELOW and SHARE IT with your family and friends on Facebook today!

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If You Ever See This Moth, Back Away Immediately And Get Somewhere Safe As Soon As You Can