Poor moths. They tend to be seen as poor cousins to butterflies. And when most people think of moths, they conjure up nuisance creatures that chew holes in their sweaters or that don’t have sense enough not to bash into their overhead lights on summer evenings. In fact, there are many beautiful species of moths.

Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources - Forestry Archive, Bugwood.org

This news tidbit won’t do much to enhance moths’ PR, but according to an article in National Geographic, entomologists in Siberia have discovered a previously unknown species of moth that feeds on human blood. The bloodsucker may have evolved from a vegetarian species called Calyptra thalictri.

You can see a picture of this charming-looking creature here.