Moths the size of human hands successfully mate inside Mexico museum

Maria Eugenia Diaz Batres, a biologist, looks at a moth emerging from a cocoon while hanging from a clothesline in the gardens of the Natural History Museum in Mexico City - (Associated Press/Marco Ugarte)

A pair of large moths, which are the size of a human hand, were recently observed mating just hours after hatching at the Museum of Natural History and Environmental Culture in Mexico City.

Known locally as "four mirrors" moths, or scientifically as Rothschildia orizaba, their successful mating is a testament to the museum's conservation efforts.