# Creature ID With Photo
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/creature-id-with-photo/182829
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [June 19, 2003, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/creature-id-with-photo/182829 "2003-06-19T01:09:52Z")
**Posts on this page:** 6
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@baierjj](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/baierjj)
#### Post date: [June 19, 2003, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/creature-id-with-photo/182829/1 "2003-06-19T01:09:52Z")
This was hovering around our impatiens last summer, and no one knows what it is. It’s about 2 to 2 1/2 inches long with translucent wings. Can anyone help? Thanks.
[Creature Photo 1](http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2003-6/237591/Creature1a.jpg) [Creature Photo 2](http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2003-6/237591/Creature2a.jpg)
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### Author:  [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)
#### Post date: [June 19, 2003, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/creature-id-with-photo/182829/2 "2003-06-19T01:38:55Z")
It looks like a variant of the [clearwing sphinx moth](http://homepages.wmich.edu/~s8stahlh/hemaris.html). There are over 100 species of _sphingidae_ moths pictured in thumbnails at this [Moths of north America](http://www.npwrc.usgs.gov/resource/distr/lepid/moths/mothsusa.htm) site.
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### Author:  [@ubermensch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ubermensch)
#### Post date: [June 19, 2003, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/creature-id-with-photo/182829/3 "2003-06-19T01:42:08Z")
It’s a huge freakin’ moth. I’ve seen a few around here, and found out somehow…don’t remember where. I thought it was a hummingbird at first, but no. I wanna say it’s the largest moth spieces found in N.A., if not the world.
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### Author:  [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)
#### Post date: [June 19, 2003, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/creature-id-with-photo/182829/4 "2003-06-19T18:34:13Z")
Yup, that’s what it is. I predicted it was going to turn out to be a hawk moth in the other thread. 😃
> [@](#):
>
> _originally posted by ubermensch_
> I wanna say it’s the largest moth spieces found in N.A., if not the world.
Nah, the [Cecropia moth](http://www.ivyhall.district96.k12.il.us/4th/kkhp/1insects/cecropia.html) is a lot bigger.
So is the [Black Witch Moth](http://www.inra.fr/Internet/Produits/PAPILLON/noctuid/ophideri/texteng/a_odorat.htm).
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### Author:  [@ratatoskK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ratatoskK)
#### Post date: [June 19, 2003, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/creature-id-with-photo/182829/5 "2003-06-19T18:50:45Z")
I saw one of those a few years ago, and will always remember it because it looked and acted just like a hummingbird. I went to a bookstore and looked it up, and decided it was a Nessus Sphinx. But now that I’ve read the above and googled a bit, I think it’s this:
[Hummingbird Clearwing Moth (Hemaris thysbe)](http://www.silkmoths.bizland.com/shthysbe.htm)
The second picture down clearly shows the red spot on its tail.
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### Author:  [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)
#### Post date: [June 19, 2003, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/creature-id-with-photo/182829/6 "2003-06-19T20:13:33Z")
I was lucky enough to have a Hummingbird Hawkmoth visit the Salvia in my garden last year (I live in the UK and they are not common here) - the similarity in movement to a genuine hummingbird (which I have only ever seen on TV) is really striking.