The world's heaviest moth - so big it can't fly properly - has been spotted in Australia

© Mount Cotton State SchoolWorld's heaviest moth found in Australia. Mount Cotton State School

• A giant wood moth was found outside a school in Queensland, Australia, this week.
• The moth species, believed to be the world's heaviest, can weigh up to an ounce and have a wing span of 10 inches.
• The moth was released into a nearby forest after being found.
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A giant moth that is so heavy it has trouble flying was found outside a school in Australia this week.

The insect was found by construction workers on a building site at a school in south Queensland.

It was identified as a giant wood moth, the world's heaviest of the moth species.

Queensland Museum entomologist Christine Lambkin told ABC Radio that the large species can weigh up to one once and have a wingspan of nearly 10 inches.

"They fly very, very poorly," Lambkin said. "In most cases when the females emerge, they just crawl up a tree or stump of a fence post and wait for the males to find them."

The moth was released back into a nearby forest, The Independent reports.