According to BuzzFeed, this is a “Venezuelan Poodle Moth.” I want to cuddle it in abject terror.

It doesn’t appear to have an entry in Wikipedia, so I cannot say for certain that it actually exists. The picture originated on Flickr (where it is posted “all rights reserved.” See below for photo credit information.) It is actually titled “Poodle moth, Venezuela.”

I looked for a “poodle moth” on Google, and all I could find was this monstrosity identified as Galasa nigrinodis. According to Wikipedia, however, G. nigrinodis is known as the “Boxwood Leaftier Moth” and looks nothing at all like a poodle. Also, these moths live in eastern North America, which is not where they keep Venezuela, last time I checked.

Presumably, this cute-yet-terrifying moth has been misidentified, with the “poodle” description given solely by the photographer. Or perhaps this is a newly-discovered species, revealed to the world via Flickr. History will decide.

Photo credit: Poodle moth, Venezuela by artour_a, on Flickr.