The atlas moth, one of the biggest moths in the world, was detected in the U.S. for the first time. A professor living in Bellevue, a Seattle suburb, reported his finding to the state of Washington's Department of Agriculture, according to NBC News
So, how big is it? Its wingspan is 10 inches.
Considered to be one of the largest moths in the world, the atlas moth is actually illegal to keep in the US, according to officials with the Washington State Department of Agriculture.
And officials aren’t sure how the massive insect landed in the U.S.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture says the atlas moth is a federally quarantined species and cannot be housed, collected, or sold without the permission of the federal agency. It is an invasive species and can pose a risk to the non-native ecosystems they occupy.
This detection of the atlas moth is the first in the United States, CBS News reports. The species is native to Southeast Asia and are known to live largely in tropical and subtropical rainforests. Is there more where this one came from? Because there was only one sighting, researchers say we'll have to wait and see.