Garden tiger moth

Arctia caja

Caterpillars & bugs🪮 Stinging hairs

Danger to people: MildLike a bee sting or less. Basically harmless to people.

Garden tiger moth belongs to the group: Caterpillars & bugs. It lives in: Europe, Asia, North America.1

Lives in

Europe, Asia, North America1

Length

6 cm (2.4 in)1

typical adult size

Top speed

about 0.03 km/h (0.02 mph)

On land, rough guess

Venom power

Stinging hairs

Tiny hairs or bristles break off in the skin and sting.

How dangerous is it to people?

Danger to people: MildLike a bee sting or less. Basically harmless to people.

🚑 If it bites or stings

For stinging caterpillar hairs: lift them off with sticky tape, then wash the skin. Do not rub.
For bites: wash and cool. Get medical help if the person feels unwell or bleeds easily.

Always call your emergency number first (112, 000, 911). This is general first aid guidance, not medical advice. First aid basics

⛑️ Stay safe

Never touch, catch or tease a wild animal, even a small one, and even if it looks asleep or dead.
Give it space. If you meet one, stay calm, step back slowly and let it go its own way.
If one bites or stings you: stay calm, keep still, call your emergency number (112, 000, 911) or get to a hospital fast. Remember what it looked like, a photo helps.

It is not out to get you. It uses its venom to catch food or to protect itself, and it would much rather hide. More about staying safe

Where in the world?

Africa Asia Europe North America South America Australia & Oceania The oceans

How big is it?

How long is it?

as long as 2 toy building bricks in a rowslower than a garden snail

How big is Garden tiger moth compared to YOU?

Just maths in your browser. Nothing is saved or sent anywhere.

How fast is it?

Garden tiger moth about 0.03 km/h (0.02 mph)

A garden snail about 0.05 km/h (0.03 mph)

A tortoise about 0.3 km/h (0.19 mph)

A person walking about 5 km/h (3.1 mph)

A kid on a bike about 12 km/h (7.5 mph)

For venom experts

Scientific name: Arctia caja
Group: Caterpillars & bugs
Continents: Europe, Asia, North America
Danger to people: 1 / 5: Mild1

Where the facts come from

Venom Wiki: the danger level, the typical size and the speed guess are our own. See how we work them out: How we rate danger.

Every fact on this page has a number that points to its source. If we got something wrong, sorry, we are animal fans, not a science journal. Tell us at [email protected] and we will fix it.

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