Grab your FlightSaber! It's a moth that looks like a storm trooper

The Death's Head Hawksmoth was spotted in Ricoh Factory, Telford

Its skull-patterned cousins were used in Silence of the Lambs and Dali's art



Ecology expert said: 'I've never seen one that looks like a storm trooper'







The sith lord would not be happy.

Small, winged, with six legs, this is a far cry from the uniformed storm troopers he deployed to spread the Galatic Empire's new order.

But there is no mistaking the marks on the back of this moth.



The aptly-named Death’s Head Hawkmoth silenced a room of factory workers as it landed on a wooden pallet at the Ricoh factory in Telford, Shropshire, yesterday.



The company’s environment officer Andy Whyle, 31, spotted the striking markings on its body, which bear an uncanny resemblance to one of the faceless soldiers.



The Force is with you: Death's Head Hawkmoth with markings that look exactly like a Star Wars Stormtrooper

He said: 'It was a bit of a shocker, because it is unusually large it caused quite a stir.

'An employee found it in our warehouse where it had come in from the fields.'



It has now been taken to the Shropshire Invertebrate’s Group, where it will be used for breeding.

Ecologist Dan Wrench added: 'Sometimes they have skull-like markings on their heads but I’ve never seen them look like a Storm Trooper.



Rare: Skull-patterned Death's Head Hawkmoths were used in Silence of the Lambs but this is a new find

'They really are striking creatures, we are seeing them more and more in the UK - but they eat potatoes.



'Hopefully they won’t get to pest proportions and try and take over like the Galatical Empire.



'They squeak when you go near them too - so they certainly have a lot going for them in terms of entertainment value.

'Perhaps even more so now they have a Star Wars link to them.'



The giant moths arrive on British shores in late summer and autumn from their native southern Europe.

Star wars: White-armoured storm troopers are deployed by the sith lord to spread the New Order in the films

It is the largest species of moth in the UK with a wingspan of up to five inches.

Because of its strange, usually skull-like markings, the moth was thought of as an omen of death.

It is probably most famous as a stylised version appeared on the iconic posters for the horror film, the Silence of the Lambs.