Unknown insect in the form of a hedgehog. New WhatsApp attack: people are being scared by a deadly water bug and the “Daddy Dance. How to recognize smooth

A few weeks ago, the international community of biologists reported that the result of many years of field research was the discovery of many completely new species of animals and insects, among which the blue scorpion and the giant hairy spider are most notable.

Over 20 years of research in the tropics, many previously unknown animals and insects have been discovered. Of course, it is not yet possible to publish a complete list of species, since most of the finds have not yet been systematized, but a group of scientists decided to tell the public about the most amazing finds during their work!

One of the most unusual finds was a huge tarantula (theraphosa blondi). The body length of an adult insect (without legs) reaches almost 20 centimeters, and its weight is up to 170 grams! At the moment, this is the largest spider in the world known to science.

The spider was first discovered during an expedition to Guyne (a small state on the northeast coast of South America). The spider lives in underground burrows and, despite its name, does not feed on birds at all, but on small invertebrates (lizards and even poisonous snakes)! Despite the fact that the spider has poisonous fangs, its bite is not dangerous to humans.

No less interesting is the imperial scorpion (Pandinus imperator). The body size of the imperial scorpion reaches 20 centimeters. This is one of the largest scorpions in the world (the species from India is considered the largest scorpion).

The emperor scorpion was also discovered in 2006 in Ghana. Despite its impressive size, the scorpion is not at all considered a dangerous predator and termites form the basis of its diet.

Another discovery of biologists, according to Dailymail, was a new species of ants. Hooked ants were discovered in 2007 in Cambodia. These insects make their homes in the trunks of dead trees, easily cutting tunnels through the wood thanks to sharp hooks on the body.

FAKE STATUS: active
APPEARANCE: autumn 2016 a, Mexico

Apparently, the citizens of our vast Motherland became bored and some decided, out of boredom, to scare the population and their loved ones and distant ones with a new misfortune and dragged last year's fake on VKontakte, which somehow, apparently, did not receive strong distribution (let's give credit to the admins of the group - at the time of writing this material, this already deleted):

We look - where and when it went:

In a standard manner "inform everyone, all the media are silent, almost everyone has died around the world and in our village" a message began to spread through Russian social networks " Attention! a particularly dangerous insect, unknown until recently, entered Russia from India! Do not try to kill him with your hands - as soon as you touch him, you will instantly be struck by a terrible virus, from which there is no vaccine yet! Spread this message, take care of the kids!"

Panic notes are accompanied by creepy, unbearable pictures:

It seemed especially funny to us that in Mexico, in a number of cases, the RUSSIA TODAY channel was indicated as a source of information, and specifically its broadcast to South America:

As can be seen from the above picture, the comment is unambiguous - "Fake deadly bugs in Mexico: Disturbing news about deadly bugs in Mexico is spreading online and on multiple sites".

The photo on the right, which could easily pass as a frame from any horror movie or Photoshop user's imagination, has nothing to do with this article. This is the image that uses trypophobia, dislike for agglomerates of round objects, which we will discuss below.

The RT logo is also false, not a single material, article, video with this name in the Spanish-language direction of work can be found on the RT website.

The "new insect" is by no means new, but well known to everyone - the male bug of the Belostomatidae family. The water bug, which is one of the largest insects, reaches a length of up to 10 centimeters. In this family, the eggs laid by the female stick to the body of the male for the purpose of protection. These bugs do not suck blood as described in the article, however, they can sting when they feel threatened. That is, this photo has nothing to do with the panic article at all, and seems to have been used to increase the fear caused by the similarity of the image of the holes in the arm and the accumulation of eggs on the back of the male. Of course, for everyone who was brought up on the knowledge that aliens strive to get into a person and lay eggs there, unconscious and conscious fears and disgust immediately worked, which led in a number of cases to a nervously accidental pressing of the "repost" button.

How this and in whose head it "came to India" is no longer clear. It’s strange that it hasn’t yet spread from Kazakhstan in the spring, where for some reason they prefer to distribute fakes via WansUp:

Apparently, a classic phenomenon occurred - a certain insect of MICROSCOPIC (do you see a "microscopic insect" in the picture? It seems that experts recognized a bug in it, which, as written above, can reach 10 centimeters) sizes was indeed found in India. Then someone stuck an illustration to it that has nothing to do with the situation.

Let's compare the two texts and once again learn how to highlight manipulative emotional generalized phrases:

But what do we have in scary pictures?

and here's what:

What is it?

If you feel disgust and fear at the sight of a honeycomb or a fungus sponge, you have trypophobia. Although, in fact, not everything is so simple. Let's figure it out.

The term trypophobia, or fear of clustered holes, comes from the Greek trypa, or hole. Fear arises in people suffering from this condition at the moment when they see something covered with small holes arranged in an asymmetrical pattern.

It is characteristic that a person suffering from a phobia feels a number of unpleasant symptoms at the sight of holes in cheese, a washcloth, enlarged pores on the face, honeycombs and even a bar of aerated chocolate!

All objects that have numerous cluster holes in their structure, represent a huge discomfort for trypophobes.

Trypophobes are afraid of:

• holes in the human body
• holes in plants and animals
• holes and multiple holes on food
• holes on inanimate objects: fossil, household, hygienic.
• cluster holes formed as a result of human and animal life (earthworm passages)
• graphic and digital images of multiple holes

It is noteworthy that trypophobes are not afraid of absolutely all objects that have cluster holes. So, a person suffering from a phobia may be afraid of a washcloth, but react quite calmly to holes in cheese or bread.

Experts say that this feature is due to the fact that trypophobes are only afraid of those things and objects from which danger is expected, which is directly related to certain causes of fear.

If at the sight of multiple holes and openings you experiencing the following sensations, then you are among the 10% of the world's inhabitants suffering from trypophobia:

• pruritus
• goosebumps
• disgust
• disgust
• panic
• fear that someone lives in the holes
• increased sweating
• allergic reactions on the skin
• shortness of breath
• pallor
• dizziness
• nausea

One of the psychologists named Jeff Cole he himself diagnosed trypophobia and began an intensive study of it. The scientist came to the conclusion that this fear is based on a variant of animal atavism and biological disgust - the fear that someone can live in the holes and carry a certain danger. After all, numerous holes and spotting are certainly present on the body of the most poisonous creatures on the planet and in their habitats. Our ancestors, as the scientist explains, determined the danger by these signs, and subconscious fear stopped them from a fatal step

Many psychologists suggest that, as such, the fear of multiple holes every person has. According to them, some show this fear, while others may not even be aware of it.

In addition, the stories of many people experiencing trypophobia lead researchers to believe that all fears come from childhood

So, one of the respondents said that in childhood he was bitten by a bee and his skin was so swollen that he saw every pore, and the other told how his parents were killed with a knife, the handle of which had cluster holes

Trypophobia on the skin: hello photoshop

Many, due to their ignorance, believe that trypophobia is a skin disease, which consists in the formation of various holes on the human body. It's actually a mental disorder. is not a disease and formations on the body due to a phobia do not appear.

Really, "trypophobia in pictures" originates in 2005 . The growth of the disease was facilitated by the rapid development of digital photography, when everyone got the opportunity to take a large photo of an orange peel or coral. Plus, the rapid development of various 3D technologies has added fuel to the fire, you can learn more about them on the website. Today, one does not have to be a professional photographer or artist to quickly and easily create images that cause many people to trypophobic horror.

Especially popular among those who want to get scared are colorful photos of human skin, covered with trypophobic patterns. It might look something like this.

Such images cause unpleasant emotions in 30% of people. But it would be wrong to say that all these people suffer from trypophobia. After all, the images are really dangerous. Imagine that you met a person on the street who is actually covered in holes like this. Most likely he is very seriously ill and contagious. And it carries danger. And therefore, the fear caused by such hypothetical individuals in others is not of some morbid nature.

However, 16-18% of people in trypophobic horror are no longer photoshopped pictures of people's skin, but normal macro images of objects of living and inanimate nature.

So what scares us so much in the past of mankind? And here's what:

We also thought that "it would be better if we didn't see something here."

Well, the citizens also comment:

PLEASE TURN ON THE HEAD, DO NOT REACH THE KEYBOARD AND MOUSE WITHOUT TURNING ON THE HEAD AND DO NOT FORGET THAT THE SIGN OF A STANDARD FAKE IS EMOTIONAL CALLS "TELL EVERYONE! WARN EVERYONE! SAVE-HELP! AND MANY, MUCH EXCLAMATIONS".

The millions of species of insects that live on earth today play a vital role in the ecosystem of our planet. Although most of them are safe, some can cause a lot of trouble for a person, and some can be poisonous and even deadly. From familiar ants and flies to more exotic beetles, here's a list of the 25 most dangerous insects in the world.

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1. Termites

Termites do not pose a direct danger to humans, they play an important role for the environment, moreover, in some cultures they are even eaten. But at the same time, baby termites can cause enormous damage to infrastructure, sometimes making houses completely uninhabitable.

2. Lice

3. Black-legged tick

Every year, the black-legged tick infects thousands of people with Lyme disease, which starts with a rash around the bite that looks like a bull's eye. Early symptoms of this disease include headache and fever. With the further development of the disease, the victim begins to suffer from problems with the cardiovascular system. Few die from these bites, but the effects can continue for years after the unpleasant encounter with the tick.

4. Army ants

The first creature on our list that is dangerous in the literal sense of the word are roaming ants, known for their predatory aggression. Unlike other ant species, roamers do not build their own permanent nests. Instead, they create colonies that migrate from one place to another. These predators constantly move during the day, preying on insects and small vertebrates. In fact, the entire combined colony can kill more than half a million insects and small animals in one day.

5. Wasp

Most wasps do not pose much direct danger, but certain species, such as the North American German wasp, grow to large sizes and can be incredibly aggressive. If they sense danger or notice an intrusion into their territory, they can sting repeatedly and very painfully. They will mark their aggressors and in some cases pursue them.

6. Black Widow

Although the sting of a female black widow spider can be very dangerous to humans due to the neurotoxins released during the bite, if the necessary medical attention is provided in time, the effects of the bite will be limited to only some pain. Unfortunately, isolated cases of death from the bite of a black widow still occurred.

7. Hairy Caterpillar

Caterpillars of the Megalopyge opercularis coquette moth look cute and fluffy, but don't be fooled by their cartoony appearance: they are extremely venomous.

Usually people believe that the hairs themselves are burning, but in reality the poison is released through the spikes hidden in this "wool". The spines are extremely brittle and remain in the skin after being touched. The poison causes a burning sensation around the affected area, headache, dizziness, vomiting, sharp pains in the abdomen, damage to the lymph nodes, and sometimes respiratory arrest.

8. Cockroaches

The cockroach is known as a carrier of many diseases that are dangerous to humans. The main danger of living together with cockroaches is that they climb into toilet bowls, garbage cans and other places where bacteria accumulate, and as a result, they are their carriers. Cockroaches can cause a variety of diseases, from worms and dysentery to tuberculosis and typhoid. Cockroaches can carry fungi, single-celled organisms, bacteria, and viruses. And here's a fun fact - they can live for months without food or water.

10. Bed bugs

A person does not directly feel the bite itself, since the composition of the saliva of the bug includes an anesthetic substance. If the bug could not get close to the blood capillary the first time, it can bite a person several times. At the site of a bug bite, severe itching begins, and a blister may also appear. Occasionally, people experience a severe allergic reaction to a bug bite. Fortunately, 70 percent of people feel almost no effects from them.

Bedbugs are household insects and do not belong to the group of carriers of infectious diseases, however, in their body they can retain pathogens that transmit infections through the blood, such as viral hepatitis B, for a long time, pathogens of plague, tularemia, and Q fever can also persist. They cause the greatest harm to people with their bites, depriving a person of normal rest and sleep, which can subsequently adversely affect moral health and performance.

11. Human gadfly

12. Centipede

The centipede (Scutigera coleoptrata) is an insect that is also called the flycatcher and is thought to have originated in the Mediterranean. Although other sources speak of Mexico. The centipede has become very common throughout the world. Although the appearance of such insects is unattractive, they generally do a useful job, as they eat other pests and even spiders. True, with entomophobia (fear of insects), such an argument will not help. Usually people kill them because of their unpleasant appearance, although centipedes are even protected in some southern countries.

The flycatcher is a predator, they inject the victim with poison and then kill it. Often flycatchers settle in apartments without harming food or furniture. They love moisture, often centipedes can be found in basements, under baths, in toilets. Flycatchers live from 3 to 7 years, newborns have only 4 pairs of legs, increasing them by one with each new molt.

Typically, the bite of such an insect is not disturbing to humans, although it can be compared with a small bee sting. For some, it can even be painful, but usually it is limited to tears. Of course, centipedes are not insects that are responsible for thousands of deaths, but many of us would be surprised to learn that someone dies from these stings every year. The fact is that an allergic reaction to insect venom is possible, but this still happens extremely rarely.

Although scorpions do not belong to insects, as they belong to the order of arthropods from the class of arachnids, we nevertheless included them in this list, especially since black scorpions are the most dangerous species of scorpions. Most of them live in South Africa, especially often they can be found in desert areas. Black scorpions are distinguished from other species by their thick tails and thin legs. Black scorpions sting, injecting their prey with poison that can cause pain, paralysis and even death.

Paraponera clavata is a species of large tropical ants from the genus Paraponera Smith and the subfamily Paraponerinae (Formicidae), which have a strong sting. This ant is called a bullet for the reason that the bite victims compare it to a shot from a pistol.

A person bitten by such an ant may feel throbbing and relentless pain for days after the bite. In some local Indian tribes (Satere-Mawe, Maue, Brazil), these ants are used in very painful rites of initiation of boys to adulthood (which leads to temporary paralysis and even blackening of the stung fingers). During the study of the chemical composition of the poison, a paralyzing neurotoxin (peptide) was isolated from it, called poneratoxin.

Also known as Phoneutria, Brazilian wandering spiders are venomous creatures that live in tropical South America and Central America. In the 2010 Guinness Book of Records, this type of spider was named the most venomous spider in the world.

The venom of this genus contains a powerful neurotoxin known as PhTx3. At lethal concentrations, this neurotoxin causes loss of muscle control and breathing problems, leading to paralysis and eventually suffocation. A bite of moderate pain, poison causes instant infection of the lymphatic system, entering the bloodstream in 85% of cases leads to heart failure. Patients feel wild stiffness during life, men sometimes experience priapism. There is an antidote that is on par with antibiotics, but because of the severity of the harm to the body of the poison, the detox procedure is actually equal to the chance of survival of the victim.

African bees (also known as killer bees) are the descendants of bees brought from Africa to Brazil in the 1950s in an attempt to improve honey production in that country. Some African queens have begun to interbreed with native European bees. The resulting hybrids moved north and are still found in Southern California.

African bees look the same and in most cases behave like the European bees that currently live in the United States. They can only be detected by DNA analysis. Their stings also do not differ from the sting of an ordinary bee. One very important difference between the two varieties is the defensive behavior of the African bees when defending their nest. In some attacks in South America, African bees have killed livestock and people. This behavior has earned the AMPs the nickname "killer bees".

In addition, this type of bee is known for acting like an invader. Their swarms attack the hives of the common honey bee, invading them and installing their queen. They attack in large colonies and are ready to destroy anyone who encroaches on their uterus.

Although the flea is not usually perceived as dangerous, fleas transmit numerous diseases between animals and humans. Throughout history, they have contributed to the spread of many diseases, such as the bubonic plague.

Fire ants are several related ants from the Solenopsis saevissima species-group of the Solenopsis genus, which have a strong sting and poison, whose effect is similar to a flame burn (hence their name). More often under this name appears the invasive red fire ant, which has spread throughout the world. There are known cases of human sting by one ant with serious consequences, anaphylactic shock, up to death.

The second spider on our list, the brown recluse, doesn't release neurotoxins like the black widow. Its bite destroys tissue and can cause lesions that take months to heal.

The bite very often goes unnoticed, but in most cases the sensations are similar to those of a needle prick. Then within 2-8 hours the pain makes itself felt. Further, the situation develops depending on the amount of poison that has entered the bloodstream. The venom of the brown recluse spider is hemolytic, which means it causes necrosis and tissue destruction. A bite for young children, the elderly and sick people can be fatal.

Siafu (Dorylus) - These army ants are mainly found in East and Central Africa, but have also been found already in tropical Asia. Insects live in colonies that can number up to 20 million individuals, all of which are blind. They make their travels with the help of pheromones. The colony does not have a permanent place of residence, wandering from place to place. In the course of movement to feed the larvae, insects attack all invertebrates.

Among these ants there is a special group - soldiers. It is they who can sting, for which they use their hook-shaped jaws, and the size of such individuals reaches 13 mm. The jaws of the soldiers are so strong that in some places in Africa they are even used to secure the seams. The wound may be closed for as long as 4 days. Usually, after a Siafu bite, the consequences are minimal, you don’t even need to call a doctor. True, it is believed that young and old people are especially sensitive to the bites of such ants, and deaths from complications after contact have been observed. As a result, annually, according to statistics, from 20 to 50 people die from these insects. This is facilitated by their aggressiveness, especially when protecting their colony, which a person can accidentally attack.

Many of us have seen bumblebees - they seem to be quite small, and there is little reason to be afraid of them. Now imagine a bumblebee that has grown up as if on steroids, or just look at the Asian giant. These hornets are the largest in the world - their length can reach 5 cm, and their wingspan is 7.5 centimeters. The length of the sting in such insects can be up to 6 mm, but neither a bee nor a wasp can compare with such a bite, and bumblebees can also sting repeatedly. Such dangerous insects cannot be found in Europe or the USA, but when traveling through East Asia and the mountains of Japan, you can meet them. To understand the consequences of a bite, it is enough to listen to eyewitnesses. They compare the sensation of a bumblebee's sting to a red-hot nail driven into the foot.

The venom of the sting has 8 different compounds that cause discomfort, damaging soft tissues and creating an odor that can attract new bumblebees to the victim. People who are allergic to bees can die from the reaction, but there are cases of death due to the poison mandorotoxin, which can be dangerous if it gets deep enough into the body. It is believed that about 70 people die from such bites every year. Curiously, the sting is not the main hunting tool of bumblebees - they crush their enemies with large jaws.

The tsetse fly lives in tropical and subtropical Africa, having chosen the Kalahari and Sahara deserts. Flies are carriers of trypanosomiasis, which cause sleeping sickness in animals and humans. Tsetse are anatomically very similar to their ordinary relatives - they can be distinguished by a proboscis on the front of the head and a special manner of folding wings. It is the proboscis that allows you to get the main food - the blood of wild African mammals. On this mainland, there are 21 species of such flies, which can reach a length of 9 to 14 mm.

You should not consider flies so harmless to humans, because they really kill people, doing it quite often. It is believed that in Africa up to 500 thousand people are infected with sleeping sickness, carried by this particular insect. The disease disrupts the activity of the endocrine and cardiac systems. The nervous system is then affected, causing confusion and sleep disturbance. Attacks of fatigue are replaced by hyperactivity.

The last major epidemic was recorded in Uganda in 2008, in general, the disease is on the list of forgotten in WHO. However, in Uganda alone, 200,000 people have died from sleeping sickness in the last 6 years. It is believed that this disease is largely to blame for the deterioration of the economic situation in Africa. It is curious that flies attack any warm object, even a car, but they do not attack a zebra, considering it only a flash of stripes. Tsetse flies have also saved Africa from soil erosion and overgrazing caused by cattle.

Man came up with different methods of dealing with these insects. In the 1930s, all wild pigs were destroyed on the west coast, but this gave a result only for 20 years. Now they fight by shooting wild animals, cutting down bushes and treating male flies with radiation in order to deprive them of the opportunity to reproduce.

It's time to meet the largest, longest and heaviest insects on Earth. Naturally, the largest species lived in the prehistoric era, but even in the modern world there are still such incredible beetles that will give you goosebumps. From the creepy giant weta to the more famous praying mantis, here is a list of the 25 largest insects in the world.

25. Protodonata or Meganisoptera

Meganisoptera is not only the largest dragonfly that has ever existed on our planet, but also the largest insect in the world. With a wingspan of up to 75 centimeters, this gigantic insect soared through the skies from the Carboniferous to the end of the Permian era (approximately 317 to 247 million years ago). Meganisoptera lived long before the appearance of pterosaurs, birds and bats, which means that it had no equal in the sky.

24. Giant ueta


Photo: Dinobass

The giant ueta (weta) is a very large species of insect that lives mainly in New Zealand. An adult beetle can weigh 35 grams. Ueta prefers to hide in fallen leaves and bark of fallen trees, and rests mainly during the day. At night, the heavyweight leaves its shelter to move into other trees in search of food and more comfortable housing. Despite its impressive size, the giant ueta only lives for 6-9 months.

23. Lumberjack Titan


Photo: Bernard Dupont

Endemic to the rainforests of South America, the titan lumberjack is the largest known beetle not only in the Amazonian jungle, but also one of the largest insect species in the world. The titan grows up to 16.7 centimeters in length (according to unconfirmed reports - up to 22 centimeters), and the hallmark of this giant insect is its impressive claws, with which it can easily grab a pencil, for example. There are rumors that the Titan woodcutter can even tear through human flesh with his tongs. The most interesting thing is that entomologists have not yet been able to detect its larvae, and so far naturalists can only assume that the beetle spends the beginning of its life inside trees.

22. Australian walking cane


Photo: Rosa Pineda

The Australian cane (Extatosoma tiaratum) is a huge herbivore that lives in the tropical and temperate rainforests of Australia. These creatures are very similar to praying mantises, but entomologists distinguish them as two completely different species. Females are usually larger than males, they reach up to 20 centimeters in length and are covered with prickly spines. In turn, males also have something to brag about - they have as many as 3 eyes, and they can fly, unlike females, who have only the rudiments of wings.

21. Moth atlas


Photo: Quartl

This giant moth lives in the tropical and subtropical forests of Southeast Asia and is considered one of the largest Lepidoptera insect species on the planet. The tropical moth has a wingspan of 25 centimeters, and the surface area of ​​​​the wings of the atlas is 400 square centimeters, which is more than any other insect in the world. At the same time, her life expectancy is only 5-7 days. This short-lived beauty, people have found quite a practical application - in India, a giant moth is bred for the production of silk thread.

20. Rhinoceros cockroach (Macropanesthia rhinoceros)

Photo: Mark Pellegrini (Raul654)

The giant rhinoceros cockroach (also known as the burrowing cockroach) lives in the rainforests of Queensland, Australia and is the largest and heaviest cockroach in the world. An adult representative of this species grows up to 8 centimeters in length and can weigh up to 35 grams. The life expectancy of a burrowing cockroach is quite impressive - scientists have found individuals whose age reached as much as 10 years. You may be surprised, but among amateur entomologists, the giant rhinoceros cockroach is quite popular as a ... pet.

19. Elephant beetle


Photo: sdbeazley / flickr

This insect prefers the humidity of tropical forests and lowlands of Central and South America (especially Mexico). The elephant beetle (or megasoma elephant) is a large insect that grows up to as much as 13 centimeters in length. Impressive in size, these creatures live only 1-3 months, prefer night time, feed on tree sap and tropical fruits.

18. Phobaeticus chani


Photo: P.E. Bragg

Phobaeticus chani is one of the longest insect species in the world. Its more common name is Chan's stick insect, which this insect received in honor of its explorer Datuk Chen Zhaolun (Datuk Chen Zhaolun). A giant stick insect was discovered not so long ago in a tropical forest in Borneo (Borneo), where a Chinese naturalist happened to examine an individual of incredible length - 57 centimeters! The beetle variety Phobaeticus chani is still not fully understood, because the insect lives on the highest trees of the rainforest, which makes it too secretive for observation and research.

17. Queen Alexandra's Birdwing


Photo: Robert Nash

This amazingly beautiful creature was discovered in the rainforests of Oro province in the east of Papua New Guinea. Another name for this bird wing is also known - Queen Alexandra's ornithopter, and it is recognized as the largest butterfly in the world. The wingspan of this giant creature reaches 30.5 centimeters, and it feeds mainly on the nectar of tropical flowers.

16. Giant water bug


Photo: Frank Vassen

The giant water bug (Belostomatidae) is also known as the "alligator flea", and it lives mainly in freshwater reservoirs, lakes, streams and rivers of North and South America, Northern Australia and East Asia. Water bugs are fierce predators, and cases of attacks of these bugs are known not only on fish and frogs, but also on small snakes and even turtles. Killer beetle? It sounds scary, but there is another no less predatory insect ahead of you. Be patient until the 11th point of our top ...

15. Giant Atlas Beetle


Photo: JohnSka

The Atlas beetle (Chalcosoma atlas) got its name in honor of the ancient mythical deity who held the vault of heaven on his shoulders. Another name for this beetle is the Caucasian beetle, and representatives of this species are considered one of the largest on Earth. Atlas is widely distributed in Southeast Asia, especially in Malaysia. Atlas males can reach as much as 13 centimeters in length.

14. Saint Helena earwig


Photo: wikimedia

In front of you is the giant earwig Labidura herculeana, the largest member of the leathery-winged order, which is sometimes called the “Dodo of the earwig world” (Dodo is a giant bird, died out in the 17th century AD) or the St. Helena earwig. History knows about the 8-cm Labidura herculeana, but the last time a living adult of this earwig was seen was already in May 1967, and in 2014 scientists regretfully announced that the Dodo of the world of earwigs had finally died out.

13. Goliath beetle

Photo: fir0002

Endemic to tropical regions of Africa, goliath beetles are the largest insects in the world, both as adults and as larvae. It is believed that these beetles are the heaviest of all insects on Earth. Their larvae weigh up to 100 grams, and adults reach up to 12 centimeters in length.

12. Mustaches or lumberjacks


Photo: Hectonichus

The longhorn beetle in the photo is a gigantic species of beetle, easily recognizable by its beautiful pattern on its back and enlarged jaws. There are other names for this insect - barbel, woodcutter, or scientifically Cerambycidae. The long-horned beetle lives in the tropical forests of South America, and despite its huge size (more than 17 centimeters in length), this species of insect can even fly.

11. Bird-eating hawk


Photo: wikimedia

The tarantula hawk is a large road wasp or pompilid that preys on tarantulas. The females of this species of insect paralyze the spider with a prick of their sting. On a successful hunt, these seemingly modest creatures are able to overcome a tarantula, which is most often 8 times heavier than a road wasp. This difference in weight does not prevent dragging the slain spider into the hole, where the female lays her larvae directly on the body of the prey. When new tarantula hawks are born, they initially feed on tarantulas stored in the hole.

10 Giant Wasp


Photo: Didier Descouens

9. Gauromydas heroes


Photo: Biologoandre

Gauromydas heros are the largest flies in the world. In length, this species of dipterous insect grows up to 7 centimeters, and its wingspan reaches 10 centimeters, which is quite a lot for a fly. Gauromydas heros lives in southern Brazil and prefers to lay its larvae in anthills. Scientists have not fully understood the species' lifestyle, but adult males presumably feed on flower nectar, females probably do not, and the larvae of these flies eat the larvae of leaf cutter ants, in whose colonies they hide.

8. Macrotermes Bellicosus


Photo: ETF89

This termite lives in Africa and Southeast Asia. Macrotermes Bellicosus is the largest known member of its infraorder. This insect got into our list due to the fact that its uterus during the laying period reaches approximately 11 centimeters in length. The size of other members of the colony is much more modest - termite workers grow up to 3-4 centimeters, and soldiers are not much larger. Macrotermes Bellicosus live by hunting and gathering, and the peak of activity of this species of termites is observed during the rainy season.

7. Hercules beetle


Photo: Anaxibia

The Hercules beetle (Dynastes hercules) is one of the largest beetles in the world, and it lives mainly in the jungles of South America. Representatives of this genus are considered the largest and most famous of all rhinoceros beetles, close relatives of scarabs. Some males reach 17.5 centimeters, including the length of the monohorn.

6. Thysania agrippina


Photo: Acrocynus

Thysania agrippina is a night moth, better known by other names, including agrippa cutworm, agrippina cutworm, agrippina's thysania, agrippa, night moth, and even ghost moth. Agrippina scoop is one of the largest flying insects, and its wingspan reaches almost 30 centimeters. The largest night lives in Mexico, Central America and South America, and is also sometimes found in Texas (Texas).

5 Stag Beetle (Lucanidae)


Photo: Trevor Harris / geograph.org.uk

The stag beetle or stag beetle, also sometimes known as the comb beetle, is an insect that is easy to recognize due to its huge size (about 12 centimeters in length) and imposing mandibles (lower jaws) resembling tusks or horns. In appearance, the beetle looks very intimidating, but in fact it feeds on tree sap, and uses its lower jaws only in mating games or during fights with its own relatives. For humans, this insect is usually completely harmless.

4. Giant winged dragonfly

Photo: Steven G. Johnson

The largest dragonfly living on our planet, the giant damselfly is also known in the scientific world as Megaloprepus Caerulatus. The graceful insect is decorated with silver-blue stripes, as well as white and black spots. But don't be fooled by its beauty, this dragonfly is a dangerous predator. True, Megaloprepus Caerulatus poses the greatest threat only to spiders, which the equalwing catches directly from their cozy nets. The giant dragonfly lives in the tropical forests of Central and South America, and the largest wingspan of these insects is as much as 19 centimeters!

3. Mantis


Photo: Oliver Koemmerling

This insect is almost at the top of its food chain and feeds mainly on other members of its native class, although there is evidence that praying mantises sometimes attack small reptiles, small mammals and even birds! The largest mantis known to entomologists was discovered in southern China in 1929, and its length was as much as 18 centimeters.

2. Stick Man Zhao


Photo: Joachim Bresseel, Jerome Constant

In 2014, a new insect species was discovered in the southern province of Guangxi. They became the stick insect Zhao (Phryganistria Chinensis Zhao), whose dimensions reached as much as 62.4 centimeters. The giant was discovered by the Chinese entomologist Zhao Li, and today it is the longest insect in the world. The stick insect was named after a Chinese explorer who hunted this incredible fastmatid for 6 years until he finally managed to catch one of these long-legged beauties.

1. Mosquito centipedes of the species Holorusia Brobdignagius


Photo: wikimedia

Long-legged mosquitoes or caramora are insects of the Diptera family of the long-legged suborder. Their favorite habitat is forests near fresh water bodies and swamps. Adults feed on plant nectar, while larvae feed on decaying plants. The largest of the caramors, holorusia brobdignagius grows up to 23 centimeters in length if the limbs are extended behind and in front of its body. This value allows us to consider this Chinese centipede the longest of its kind.