ZooWeird 5

A doggerel series about odd or little-known animals.

Atlas moth: The Atlas moth (Attacus atlas) is a large saturniid moth found in the tropical and subtropical forests of Southeast Asia. In the past, the species was thought to be the largest moth in the world in terms of total wing surface area, Recent findings confer this title upon the Hercules Moth.

A waiting room. An Atlas moth.

(He doesn’t take a lot of space.)

He’s there because he has a cough—

It’s not a complicated case.

The doctor checks the Atlas moth

And has some treatments for the thing:

“Just drink this all—this yucky broth—

And, oh, relief! You’ll want to sing!”

The moth flew home. He’d had the broth—

It had a funny kind of taste—

But such a luscious, creamy froth—

So he let nothing go to waste.

But Mr. Moth would not live long—

So very short, his misery.

He sang his final, mortal song.

(The doctor’s name was Orkin—see?)