By wing surface area, the atlas moth is the largest moth in the world — up to 400 cm² of wing.
MediaSmithsonian MagazineShare →
Atlas Moth
Attacus atlas
World's largest moth. Wings shaped like snake heads. No mouth, no food, no time.
Curated and rated by Sheriff Six-Legs and The Wild Pest field team · Six Legs Score™ (76/100, Outlaw tier) · Published Apr 25, 2026 · Updated Apr 28, 2026 · Released CC BY 4.0
76Six Legs
Six Legs Score™
76 / 100
The atlas moth is the largest moth on Earth by wing surface area — up to 25–30 cm across — and the only moth whose wing tips imitate the head of a snake. Adults emerge without functional mouthparts. They live one to two weeks on stored fat, breed, and die. Visually unforgettable; biologically extreme; harmless to humans.
Size
Wingspan 25–30 cm (females larger)
Lifespan
Adult: 7–14 days
Range
Tropical and subtropical Asia
Diet
Caterpillar: leaves of citrus, cinnamon, guava. Adult: nothing.
Found in
Forested lowlands, often near cultivated trees
Field guide
Attacus atlas is the largest moth in the world by wing surface area, with female wingspans reaching 25–30 cm across. Females are larger than males and rely on pheromones — males can detect a female's scent from several kilometers away using their feathered antennae. The wing tips bear an extraordinary mimicry: the upper edges of each forewing curve into the unmistakable shape of a cobra's head, complete with eye-spot scales. This is thought to deter bird predators. Most extraordinary: adult atlas moths have vestigial, non-functional mouthparts. They emerge from the cocoon, live entirely on fat reserves built up during the caterpillar stage, mate, lay eggs, and die — all within roughly a week. The species is found across Southeast Asia, India, and southern China, and the silk produced by its caterpillars (fagara silk) is harvested commercially in some regions for its durability.
7 wild facts on file
The wing tips of an atlas moth are shaped like a cobra's head — a mimicry believed to deter bird predators.
JournalRoyal Entomological SocietyShare →
Adult atlas moths have no functional mouthparts. They live a week or two on stored caterpillar fat — mate, lay eggs, and die without ever eating.
Male atlas moths can detect a female's pheromones from several kilometers away using their massive feathered antennae.
JournalJournal of Insect PhysiologyShare →
Atlas moth caterpillars spin a brown wool-like silk called fagara — durable enough to be harvested commercially in parts of India.
JournalJournal of Applied EntomologyShare →
Attacus atlas is named for Atlas, the Titan of Greek myth who held the sky — a reference to its scale, not its weight.
EncyclopediaLinnaean nomenclature1758Share →
Atlas moths lack a complete digestive system as adults — there's nothing for food to go through, even if they could eat.
Cultural file
In Hong Kong, the atlas moth is called 蛇頭蛾 (snake-head moth) for the cobra resemblance on its wings. The species was first formally described by Linnaeus in 1758. Its caterpillars produce 'fagara silk,' historically harvested for durable textiles in India. The atlas moth has appeared on multiple national postage stamps including Indonesia and Malaysia.
Sources
EncyclopediaEncyclopedia of Life — Attacus atlasMuseumSmithsonian Insect Zoo
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