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Poodle moth continues to baffle experts, Internet

Manga creation that landed on the cutting room floor? Possibly.

Furry, white, long-eyelash-bedecked insect that's so strange it couldn't possibly exist in real life and yet somehow it does? Definitely.

The Venezuelan poodle moth may look like something conjured up by a team of sophisticated online pranksters, but a renowned cryptozoologist has confirmed that the creature does, in fact, fly the South American skies.

Dr. Karl Shuker traced a Flickr photo of the aptly named poodle moth to Kyrgyzstani zoologist, Arthur Anker. Anker managed to snap a photo of the unusual lepidopteran during a wildlife excursion to Venezuela in early 2009.

The sight of this fluffy mystery creature piqued Shuker's curiosity to the point where investigation was the only option.

But after digging around for more answers, the expert found little to identify the moth's official genus.

It's been suggested that these winged "poodles" may belong to the Diaphora mendica, or muslin moth family, but so far there has been no concrete evidence to verify (or disprove) that claim.

What is known? The little guy has certainly captured the Internet's attention. So if you have any relevant information, Shuker — and the millions of other curious moth gazers — would love to know.