Terrifying image of a ‘winged tarantula’ freaks out social media – can you guess what it really is?

A terrifying, squirm-inducing photo of a “tarantula with wings” has spooked social media as people try to figure out what it really is.

A terrifying picture of an insect resembling a huge winged tarantula has been scaring people on social media.

But can you tell what the creature really is?

The picture shows what looks like a large spider with massive wings and two long feelers sat on a red brick wall.

It was posted to Facebook page @stamamalon, a blog with over 2.8 million followers, last week.

RELATED: ‘Oh my God’: Kangaroo fights with koala

The stuff of nightmares. Picture: Newsflash/australscope

RELATED: Shark bite leaves man fighting for life

RELATED: Dog gives birth to rare lime green puppy

A caption read: “Antheraea polyphemus, basically a tarantula with wings.”

The post gained over 58,000 shares and 22,000 comments from users, many of them reacting with disbelief.

“It was enough that cockroaches flew,” wrote one. “Now I get this?”

“2020 can’t surprise us any more,” said another.

A third wrote: “The time has come to look for another planet.”

But despite its appearance in the image, the antheraea polyphemus is not a tarantula or a spider of any kind.

A polyphemus moth sitting on a decaying tree limb.

It is actually a type of giant silk moth native to North America, with local populations found throughout central Canada and the United States.

It is tan-coloured and has a typical wingspan of around 15cm.

Its most distinctive feature is the large purplish eyespots on each of its rear wings, one of which is visible in the Facebook picture.

The spot gives the species the name polyphemus, which is also the name of a cyclops from Greek mythology.

The moths are harmless to people.

The moths are entirely harmless to humans.

It‘s not known where exactly in North America the photo was taken.

This article originally appeared on The Sun and was reproduced with permission