Sea Grunkles International Cryptids Zine

Written by: @.tinglecannon on Tumblr
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Picture from: natureofgippsland .org

Thank you for listening to my moth musings; there are many interesting and weird things in this world, and moths will always be a particular favorite amongst them.

- Ford

End of letter. ]

Thankfully, I learned of a brilliant conservation group that focuses its efforts upon the Bogong Moth and joined their E-Mail list! I will share the information so we may brainstorm more ways to assist once we’re back.

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— Again, you cannot tell, but I had to pause my writing above and got sidetracked dealing with a cultural prank turned real cryptid (for your reference so you may avoid the same fate, Drop Bears are in fact real).

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— due to increasingly severe droughts and rising temperatures across the world, of which such conditions have not improved. I fear for their stability in the future and wish to speak with any locals that could guide me towards ways to protect these beautiful creatures.

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It is with a heavy heart that I write the remainder of this letter, for the population of the Bogong Moth started to decline in the 1980s — during my years lost beyond the portal

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Truly astounding to witness a creature that’s been around for so long and made so many impacts upon history.

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These incredible creatures have also marked a historical milestone in science, with the Bogong Moth being the first insect shown to navigate long distances via the stars, traveling hundreds of miles for their biannual migration.

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The Bogong Moth has historical importance to the First Nations peoples across Australia, with oral histories about eating Bogong Moths being passed down for many generations.

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They have dark brown coloration with dark stripes on each wing that hold two lighter silvery colored spots, the top being rounded and the bottom being kidney shaped. Their name is derived from the language Dhudhuroa’s word bugung to describe its brown coloration.

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A night-flying moth of the Noctuidae family, the Bogong Moth is quite small compared to our list thus far, with a wingspan of only 2in/5cm and body length of 1.2in/3cm.

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I must admit, as far as my moth musings go I am most excited to witness one of my favorites of Oceania: The Agrotis infusa, or Bogong Moth.

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[The letter content is as follows:

Dear Fiddleford,

Greetings! Our travels have taken us across the world at this point, as when you receive this letter Stanley and I will have landed in Australia.

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We here at SGIC Zine would greatly appreciate it if people could share this organization focused on the conservation and protection of the Bogong Moth, so we may all continue to share the starry skies with them for many more years to come.

📝 www.bogong.org

"As I mentioned in my letter to Fiddleford about the Bogong Moth, these precious creatures have become endangered due to rising temperatures from climate change, and after some 'web surfing,' I found some hope. (Don't worry, Stanley confirmed its legitimacy)"

Written by: @.tinglecannon on Tumblr
Illustrated and formatted by: @poon-nropay.bsky.social
Picture from: Nevit Dilmen, Wikipedia

I request we add that to our movie list when Stan and I return, this being one we can watch with the kids and Soos as well. I hope your mansion has a movie theater installed! Preferably nonhaunted.

- Ford

End of letter. ]

while it would not be kind to their situation, I do still wish to see one fluttering their wings to deter a predator in action.

Did you know that Mothra, the kaiju moth of the 1961 film, was based upon the appearance of the Atlas Moth?

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As they have to rely on fat storage from their time as a caterpillar, and flying requires a great deal of precious energy, Atlas Moths conserve energy by flying as little as possible;

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The patterns are even more prominent when their wings are closed, cleverly allowing them a perpetual camouflage. An impressive evolutionary trait to mimic another animal so successfully!

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on each of the four wings.

The tips of both forewings are patterned in a way to resemble the head of a snake, which is further exaggerated by their erratic wing movements when confronted by potential predators.

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While certainly not as long as a White Witch Moth, they are quite comparable in size overall. Their appearance is striking as well, with intricate patterns along their reddish-brown wings with white, black, pink, orange, and purple lines, and triangular spots bordered in black

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One of the largest moths in the world and from the Saturniidae family, the Atlas Moth has a wingspan of up to 9.5in/24cm; but even more impressive is that the surface area of their wings is about 25in²/160cm²!

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but I am determined to brave the temperatures of the forests to spot one of my favorite moths native here: The Attacus atlas, or Atlas Moth.

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[The letter content is as follows:

Dear Fiddleford,

Greetings! I hope the weather is faring better for you back home. Down here in Southeast Asia the humidity is enough to render Stanley and I motionless for hours at a time,

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"Finally, a movie reference I knew prior to my time beyond the portal. I wonder how the kids will enjoy watching it... do you think they've ever heard of Mothra?"

Written by: @.tinglecannon on Tumblr
Illustrated and formatted by: @poon-nropay.bsky.social
Picture from: Velela, Wikipedia

but perhaps we’ll visit if we have time, if for nothing else than to support a fellow lover of moths. Though I would rather see one in person.

Alas, I must end here, until next time.

- Ford

End of letter. ]

Apparently the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam holds the original sketch of the painting he had made back in the late 1800s — neither Stanley nor I are much for art (nor do I trust Stan to behave in the gift shop),

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(This factoid even caught Stanley’s attention, as when I told him that was over 10,000 yards he spit his drink!).

Giant Peacock Moths are rather popular in the artistic world as well.

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