Its camouflage livery, short flights and very restricted habitat have probably kept this small animal out of public view for a long time.

Immediately following its discovery in 1963, this creature was recognised as a living fossil, a relic from the Miocene era, a time in the Earth's natural history when the separation of the continents from Pangaea was progressing towards its current geographical position.

At that time the climate was still warm, but the cooling process that would culminate in the Pleistocene era was continuing. It was at this time that tropical plants gradually disappeared from the European continent. The Vulture moth (Brahmaea europaea Hartig), the only European brahmin, has miraculously escaped extinction.

The feeding plants of this butterfly, which is considered to be the greatest pride of national entomology, are certain trees, which are perhaps also special: the phillyrea, privet and, in particular, the southern ash.The colours of its wing scales and thick, dense hair on the back and thorax are reminiscent of a monk.

One might say a capuchin monk, with wings. The Vulture Museum of Natural History, located in the Franciscan monastery dedicated to Saint Michael, is dedicated to this species.Here, among the museum's exhibits, you can see it and also learn about its extraordinary history and biology.