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rare
Vampire Moth
Calyptra thalictri
- Habitat
- Forests across Russia, Eastern Europe, and parts of Scandinavia
- Wingspan
- 50 mm
- Order
- Lepidoptera · Erebidae
Weird but real
Pierces fruit normally with its proboscis. But males will also pierce mammalian skin, including humans, to drink blood. Documented in the wild.
Why it's cool
Not a horror movie metaphor, an actual species. The proboscis evolved to pierce thick fruit, then evolution went what if humans. The few that drink blood live longer.
