The largest insects in the world. The largest insects in the world: photo Bronze and silver medalist
The giant stick insect is the rarest insect in the world
The giant stick insect, known in English-speaking countries as the Tree lobster, which was thought to be extinct for 80 years, was found on a tiny rocky island in the ocean at an altitude of 500 feet (about the height of the 102-story Empire State Building).
The "tree lobster" is now called the rarest insect in the world. Prior to this, the insect, known by its scientific name as Dryococelus australis, was seen only on Lord Howe Island in 1918 (according to other sources in 1920).
Then the British sailors who landed on the island were quite surprised by local insects the size of a palm. However, later the island was inhabited by rats and the giant stick insect was no longer seen on it. It was officially declared extinct.
But in 2001, scientists made an incredible discovery. At a distance of 30 nautical miles southeast of Lord Howe, on a tiny piece of rock protruding from the ocean and called Ball's Pyramid, at least twenty giant stick insects were discovered, huddled in the roots of a few bushes growing on the rock.
Two Australian naturalists, David Priddel and Nicholas Carlile, discovered the stick insects. Later they returned to the island with the idea that they should somehow try to make these insects not so rare. In Australia, after two years of debate over obtaining permission for a breeding program for rare insects, they brought four stick insects. Two of them, however, soon died, but the remaining two successfully created a pair and laid eggs.
By 2008, there were as many as 700 giant stick insects at the Melbourne Zoo and scientists continue to fight to rare view the insects did not disappear as easily and quickly as the individuals from Lord Howe Island did. The stick insects were moved to this island, having previously destroyed all the rats there.
The video shows how tiny egg(the eggs take more than 6 months to mature!) A huge insect appears.
Incredible facts
One of the most amazing and mysterious human phobias (and one of the most common!) is fear of insects.
There are many assumptions why most of us fall into a stupor or begin to fuss in panic when we see a beetle or cockroach in our immediate vicinity.
Maybe it's because they are so different from us? Or perhaps Mother Nature has programmed us to react this way, since time immemorial, when a person could easily die from an insect bite?
Be that as it may, the fact remains - we are afraid of them. However, many people have noticed another amazing feature - being afraid of all sorts of small bugs, they react quite normally to major representatives these types.
Would you like to check how you react to large and very big spiders, beetles and other cockroaches?
Giant stick insect
This tropical insect is considered the most suitable look in order to keep it at home, like a pet (it’s no secret that there are such lovers!).
Although the name of the order to which the giant stick insect belongs, frankly speaking, is not inspiring - ghostly(lat. Phasmatodea ). It comes from the Greek word "phasma", meaning phantom, or specter. These insects, depending on the species, may look like an ordinary twig or a large leaf.
The giant stick insect is considered the longest creature in the insect kingdom. It can reach a length sixty or more centimeters! Many species from this order are characterized by the ability to reproduce asexually.
Giant stick insects are vegetarians, but very often they eat their own shed skin. When such an insect senses danger, it falls to the ground, pretending to be dead, or begins a strange hours-long dance, rocking his extremely unusual body from side to side.
Goliath beetle
The Goliath beetle is rightfully considered one of the largest insects on earth, judging by its size, weight and shape. The birthplace of this amazing creation are the African tropical jungle.
They can reach a length more than twelve centimeters, while in the larval state their weight sometimes exceeds one hundred grams. Average weight There are half as many adults.
Goliath beetle boasts protective shell, under which it has wings. When the beetle is about to take off, it spreads these wings and the sound that accompanies the flight is very similar to the sound of a child's toy helicopter!
Another distinctive feature of this beetle is its horn, located on the head of an insect. With the help of this horn, males sort things out, claiming a female or defending territory.
Females also have a horn, although of a slightly different shape. And it serves another purpose - with its help, females dig burrows when they are preparing to lay eggs. Although in wildlife Goliath beetles eat a diet of fruit and drink tree sap; in captivity they can easily feed on food for dogs and cats.
Peacock eye atlas
The peacock-eye atlas was at one time discovered in southeast Asia and became rightfully considered largest moth in the world. Just imagine - the wingspan of this moth is about 26 centimeters.
This is your name beautiful insect received thanks to the ornate patterns on its wings, which are shaped like a map. The tips of the wings of the atlas are very similar to the head of a snake.
In general, thanks to such an unusual shape of the wings and their bright coloring, this moth scares away predators. And males are attracted to females not by their wings, but by highlighting special pheromone from a special gland located below abdominal cavity.
Males can sense a partner from kilometers away by this smell. After the female atlas leaves her cocoon, she almost immediately enters adult life, because the entire period of her life lasts one, maximum two weeks. Moths lay eggs, feeding on the reserves accumulated in the larval state, and then die quite quickly.
Queen Alexandra's Birdwing
Queen Alexandra's Birdwing ( scientific name Ornithoptera alexandrae ) was named after Queen of England Alexandra. This butterfly, which is the largest on earth, was first discovered in one of the provinces Papua New Guinea– provinces Oro.
Females of this species are usually larger than males and have a wingspan of up to thirty-five centimeters. The birdwing feeds from a large herbaceous plant called aristolochia. This makes the eggs this butterfly lays poisonous.
Subsequently emerging caterpillars have a chance to avoid the fate of being eaten, since they have very unpleasant taste for birds and many other predators. Since 1989 this beautiful view is in danger of extinction due to the damage caused to it by people cutting down forests and settling more and more lands.
Giant Weta
The giant weta is considered largest insect in New Zealand. It is more than ten centimeters in length and weighs about 85 grams.
And a pregnant weta even weighs more than a sparrow! Wingless and leading night look life, Veta, in case of danger, straightens its long hind legs, hoping thereby to scare away some predator who intended to feast on it.
If this does not help, the weta falls on its back, pretending to be dead, thereby becoming completely defenseless. IN mating season the males of these insects overcome up to 15 kilometers per night looking for a female.
Females prefer to sit still, unlikely to move more than a few tens of meters per night. For about a hundred years this insect turned out to be endangered on the territory of New Zealand. But now there are quite a lot of them on small nearby islands. The main enemy of these animals is man, who is exploring new living spaces and various predators.
Chinese mantis
The homeland of the Chinese praying mantis, as the name suggests, is China. However, at the end of the 19th century this insect was introduced into North America in order to combat other insects that are considered pests.
It was believed that a miraculous potion could be prepared from this amazing insect, which could cure, for example, impotence.
In addition, it was believed that if you fry the eggs that a female Chinese mantis lays and feed them to children with bedwetting, then they will be cured. This insect grows over ten centimeters in length and is the largest mantis.
It feeds, as has already been said, on other insects, but does not disdain cannibalism. Females can even catch and eat small lizards and other amphibians. And sometimes a hummingbird can fall into their clutches.
When the mantis hunts, it takes "prayer" pose, folding his front paws together below his head. As soon as an opportune moment presents itself, the praying mantis jumps and grabs its prey.
Mating is a very unsafe process for males, who jump on the backs of larger females and may well become their prey. It’s just that the female, during intercourse, can turn around and grab the male by the head, holding him in this position until the sexual intercourse ends in order to then devour the poor fellow.
Giant dragonfly (scientific name Petalura gigantean
), native to Australia, was recently listed as a critically endangered insect.
Reason – drying out wetlands on the mainland. And although the giant dragonfly loves swampy areas, it is still terrestrial insect, because most she spends her life on land.
How real predator, a giant dragonfly hunts other insects, which it immediately eats. She hunts on the fly. Females of this insect usually have big sizes than males.
Their wingspan reaches fifteen centimeters. During the mating season, females go about their usual business, fluttering over the swamps, and males fly around them, choosing a mate.
If the female does not like the male, she wraps the back of the body inward, and if the suitor is to her liking, she allows the male to approach and attach to her. Then they both turn into a kind of flying family tandem.
The unusual pairing does not end there. The male has two pairs of genital organs and literally before fertilization, the male’s sperm comes from his first genital organs to the second! And later, the fertilized female lays eggs in peat moss in the swamp.
Giant burrowing rhinoceros cockroach
Home of the giant burrowing rhinoceros cockroach - North Queensland, Australian state. This is the largest and heaviest of all cockroach species on the planet.
It can weigh up to 30 grams with body length up to eight centimeters! Since they do not have wings and are unable to travel long distances, these cockroaches are not considered pests.
They live in bushes and their lifespan reaches up to ten years. Some insect lovers consider this cockroach to be a wonderful pet, as the rhinoceros cockroach loves cleanliness very much, does not have an unpleasant odor, and does not tend to leave its aquarium.
Nickname "digging" This cockroach received its name due to its ability to dig long and deep tunnels. Thus, this cockroach is the only one in his squad, which can arrange a home for itself underground. This insect prefers to feed on fallen eucalyptus leaves. The female rhinoceros cockroach lays until thirty larvae, and the cockroaches that hatch from them spend up to nine months with their mother, until they themselves learn to settle underground.
Giant water beetle
At first glance, the body of a giant water beetle looks like floor cleaning sponge. However, all these pimples on his back are just eggs, which, by the way, are carried only by males.
The largest beetle of the cicada family, the giant beetle grows up to 12 centimeters in length.. Its bite is very painful, so anyone who dives under water in the habitat of the water beetle risks learning it for themselves.
In general, this beetle is considered the most biting of all others in the insect kingdom. Despite its not very appetizing appearance, this insect is considered a delicacy (and a very delicious one!), for example, in Thailand. The water beetle itself feeds on fish, small amphibians and crustaceans.
With its saliva containing paralyzing substances, the beetle immobilizes the victim and then sucks out its liquid remains. When a beetle encounters prey that is too tough for it, or when it itself becomes the object of hunting, for example, by a person, insect pretends to be dead.
At the same time, an unpleasant-smelling liquid begins to flow from his anus. Females lay their eggs directly on males, who move with them, as the eggs need air (to avoid mold growing on them!).
Three weeks later, thanks to dad’s efforts (mom just doesn’t interfere!) the eggs turn into larvae.
Are you afraid of dragonflies, insects and even moths? Probably, the inhabitants of the tropics will laugh at your fears, because their land is inhabited by insects whose weight reaches 100 grams and length - up to 20 cm. tropical forests you have to often look around so that a huge flying beetle doesn’t crash into your forehead.
Let's look at the largest insects, their lifestyle and the places in which they live.
Fifth place - Asian hornet
The huge Asian hornet is the largest hornet in nature. Its length can reach 6 cm, and the wingspan is 8 cm. The bite of this insect with a 6 mm sting is dangerous, since its body secretes a highly toxic poison, mandorotoxin. These hornets sting like ordinary wasps, and crush victims with large jaws, like predators. They feast on meat, fish, and berries, while the larvae feast exclusively on meat.
Hornets are dangerous to people: in some regions, more than 100 people a year die from hornet stings. If you are allergic to stings, they can trigger anaphylactic shock. An attack by several individuals causes cardiac arrest even in a healthy person. Hornets pose a particular danger to apiaries. They can destroy the nest of less aggressive bees in a matter of hours.
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Fourth place - giant weta
The giant weta is a wingless insect with a thick, brown body. It has large modified mandibles - horns, with the help of which they organize “battles” - butting. Insect length – up to 9 cm, weight - 50-75 g. The weta lives in the Te Hauturu-o-Toi Nature Reserve in New Zealand in dense forests. To get here you need a special permit. There are no small mammals on the island, so the weta takes their place. Insects can neither jump nor fly. They feed on fruits, leaves, flowers.
The weta protects itself from its opponents with spikes. When a threat approaches, the giant throws away its hind legs, studded with sharp spines. If the defense does not work, the individual pretends to be dead, falling on its back.
Third place - giant stick insect
The giant stick insect is critically endangered and was long considered extinct due to rat infestations. However, in 2001, 20 giant stick insects were found on the uninhabited island of Ball's Pyramid. Naturalists actively began breeding them, and by 2008 there were already 700 giant stick insects. The giant stick insect is the longest insect. Its length is 12 cm, weight – up to 25 g. It looks like a twig, which is why it easily mimics. Capable of freezing in an unnatural position for a long time.
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Giant stick insects are vegetarians, sometimes eating their own skin. They mainly gnaw on leaves and branches, at home - raspberry and rose hip branches. Due to their unpretentiousness, they are suitable for breeding at home. They are kept in a terrarium with a humidity of 70%, a temperature of 20-25 C, with good lighting and heating.
Second place – Peacock-Eye butterfly
The Peacock Butterfly is the largest butterfly on the planet. Her body length is up to 12 cm, the wingspan of some species of individuals is 26-28 cm. It lives on all continents except Antarctica. Butterfly caterpillars feed on tree leaves (apple, cherry, alder), but adult butterflies do not eat at all. They live off nutrients, which accumulated while being caterpillars.
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 modern world There are still some incredible bugs out there that will give anyone 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 giant insect soared the skies from the Carboniferous era to the end of the Permian era (approximately 317 - 247 million years ago). Meganisoptera lived long before the appearance of pterosaurs, birds and bats, which means she had no equal in the sky.
24. Giant weta
Photo: Dinobass
The giant weta is a very large species of insect that lives primarily in New Zealand. An adult beetle can weigh 35 grams. Weta prefers to hide in fallen leaves and the bark of fallen trees, and rests mainly during the day. At night, the heavyweight leaves its shelter to move to other trees in search of food and more comfortable housing. Despite its impressive size, the giant weta lives only 6-9 months.
23. Lumberjack Titan
Photo: Bernard Dupont
Endemic tropical forests South America, the titan lumberjack is the largest known beetle not only in the Amazon jungle, but also one of the most large species insects in the world. Titan grows up to 16.7 centimeters in length (according to unconfirmed reports - up to 22 centimeters), and distinctive feature This giant insect has impressive claws with which it can easily grab a pencil, for example. Rumor has it that the Titan Lumberjack can even tear human flesh with its pincers. The most interesting thing is that entomologists have not yet been able to detect its larvae, and naturalists so far can only assume that the beetle spends the beginning of its life inside trees.
22. Australian walking stick
Photo: Rosa Pineda
The Australian walking stick (Extatosoma tiaratum) is a huge herbivorous insect native to the tropical and temperate rainforests of Australia. These creatures are very similar to praying mantises, but entomologists distinguish them as two absolutely different types. Females are usually larger than males, reaching up to 20 centimeters in length and covered with spiny spines. In turn, males also have something to brag about - they have as many as 3 eyes, and they can fly, unlike females, who only have the rudiments of wings.
21. Moth satin
Photo: Quartl
This giant moth lives in the tropical and subtropical forests of the South East Asia, and is considered one of the most large species lepidopteran insects on the planet. The wingspan of the tropical moth is 25 centimeters, and the surface area of the wings of the atlas is 400 square centimeters, which is larger than that of any other insect in the world. Moreover, its life expectancy is only 5-7 days. People have found a rather practical use for this short-lived beauty - in India, the giant moth is bred to produce 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 the burrowing cockroach is quite impressive - scientists have found individuals whose age has reached as much as 10 years. You might 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 a length of up to 13 centimeters. Impressive in size, these creatures live only 1-3 months, prefer the night, feed on tree sap and tropical fruits.
18. Phobaeticus chani 
Photo: P.E. Bragg
Phobaeticus chani is a species of insect from the stick insect family, recognized as one of the longest in the world. Its more common name is Chan's stick insect, which this insect received in honor of its researcher Datuk Chen Zhaolun. A giant stick insect was discovered not long ago in the tropical forest of Borneo, where a Chinese naturalist had the opportunity to examine an individual of incredible length - 57 centimeters! The beetle variety Phobaeticus chani still remains not fully studied, since the insect lives on the most tall trees tropical forest, making 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 eastern Papua New Guinea. Another name for this birdwing is also known - the Queen Alexandra 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 is found primarily in freshwater bodies of water, lakes, streams and rivers in North and South America, northern Australia and East Asia. Aquatic bugs are fierce predators, and cases of these bugs have been known to attack not only fish and frogs, but also small snakes and even turtles. Killer bug? It sounds creepy, but another equally predatory insect awaits you ahead. Be patient until point 11 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. The atlas is widely distributed in Southeast Asia, especially in Malaysia. Male atlas can reach as much as 13 centimeters in length.
14. St. Helena Earwig
Photo: wikimedia
Here is the giant earwig Labidura herculeana, the most major representative order of Leatherwings, which is also sometimes called the “Dodo of the earwig world” (the Dodo is a giant bird that became extinct in the 17th century AD) or the St. Helena earwig. The 8-centimeter Labidura herculeana is known in history, but last time A living adult specimen of this earwig was seen as early as May 1967, and in 2014 scientists sadly announced that the Dodo of the earwig world had finally become extinct.
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. These beetles are believed to be the heaviest of all insects on Earth. Their larvae weigh up to 100 grams, and adults reach up to 12 centimeters in length.
12. Longhorned beetles or woodcutters
Photo: Hectonichus
The long-horned beetle in the photo is giant look beetles, easily recognized by the beautiful pattern on the 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 enormous size (more than 17 centimeters in length), this species of insect can even fly.
11. Tarantula Hawk
Photo: wikimedia
The tarantula is a large road wasp or pompilid that preys on tarantulas. The females of this species of insect paralyze the spider with a sting from their sting. On a successful hunt, these seemingly modest creatures are capable of defeating a tarantula, which is most often 8 times heavier than a road wasp. This difference in weight does not interfere with dragging the killed spider into a hole, where the female lays her larvae directly on the body of the prey. When new tarantulas are born, they initially feed on the tarantulas stored in the burrow.
10. Giant Scolia Wasp
Photo: Didier Descouens
9. Gauromydas heros 
Photo: Biologoandre
Gauromydas heros are the largest flies in the world. This species of dipterous insect grows up to 7 centimeters in length, 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 studied the lifestyle of this species, 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 representative of its infraorder. This insect was included in our list due to the fact that its uterus during the egg-laying period reaches approximately 11 centimeters in length. The sizes of other members of the colony are much more modest - worker termites grow up to 3-4 centimeters, and soldiers are not much larger. Macrotermes Bellicosus live by hunting and gathering, and the peak activity of this termite species occurs during the rainy season.
7. Hercules beetle
Photo: Anaxibia
The Hercules beetle (Dynastes hercules) is one of the largest beetles in the world and is found primarily 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 monocorn length.
6. Thysania agrippina
Photo: Acrocynus
Thysania agrippina – moth, better known by other names including the agrippina cutworm, agrippina cutworm, agrippina tizania, agrippa, night moth, and even ghost moth. The agrippina cutworm is one of the largest flying insects, and its wingspan reaches almost 30 centimeters. The largest nocturnal one lives in Mexico, Central America and South America, and is also sometimes found in 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 easily recognized due to its huge size(about 12 centimeters in length) and impressive mandibles (lower jaws) resembling tusks or horns. In appearance, the beetle looks very scary, but in fact it feeds on tree sap, and uses its lower jaws only to mating games or during fights with their own relatives. For people, this insect is usually completely harmless.
4. Giant Homoptera Dragonfly
Photo: Steven G. Johnson
The largest dragonfly currently living on our planet, the giant homoptera dragonfly in scientific world also known 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... dangerous predator. True, Megaloprepus Caerulatus poses the greatest threat only to spiders, which the homopterus catches directly from their cozy webs. The giant dragonfly lives in the tropical forests of Central and South America, and the most large scale The wings of these insects are as much as 19 centimeters!
3. Praying Mantis
Photo: Oliver Koemmerling
This insect is located almost at the top of its the food chain and feeds mainly on other members of its own class, although there is evidence that 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 insect Zhao
Photo: Joachim Bresseel, Jérôme Constant
In 2014, a new species of insect was discovered in the southern province of Guangxi. It was the Zhao stick insect (Phryganistria Chinensis Zhao), whose dimensions reached as much as 62.4 centimeters. The giant was discovered by Chinese entomologist Zhao Li, and today it is the longest insect in the world. The stick insect was named after a Chinese researcher who hunted this incredible fastmatid for 6 years until he finally managed to catch one of these long-legged beauties.
1. Long-legged mosquitoes of the species Holorusia Brobdignagius
Photo: wikimedia
Long-legged mosquitoes or caramors are insects of the Diptera family of the long-whiskered suborder. Their favorite place Habitats: forests near fresh water bodies and swamps. Adults feed on plant nectar, while larvae feed on rotting plants. The largest representative of the Karamors, holorusia brobdignagius grows up to 23 centimeters in length if the limbs are extended behind and in front of its body. This size allows us to consider this Chinese centipede the longest of its kind.
Insects are the most numerous class in the animal world. Scientists have already described more than 1 million of their species! They are distributed throughout the Earth, including Antarctica.
What is the largest insect in the world?
Giant stick insect
A representative of the order of ghostly insects, Phobaeticus Chani, or simply Chan's Megastick, is the longest insect on the planet and the rarest. Throughout history, only 3 specimens of this species have been found in the tropical forests of East Malaysia.
Its size is simply shocking: the length of the body with legs reaches 60 centimeters! But the weight of the stick insect is not so impressive and is only 63 grams.
Chanya was found back in 1989 on the island of Kalimantan, which is located in the Center of the Malay Archipelago. Chan's journey traveled from amateur naturalist Chen Zhaolun to the London Natural History Museum, where he ended up in 2008.
There are several thousand species of stick insects! As we found out, Chanya is the longest of them, more than half a meter in length, the rest reach 30-40 cm. They live in Indian, South American, and Australian forests.
No wonder Swedish scientist Karl Linnaeus, for the first time classifying these animals, called them ghostly. There have long been legends about living branches and wandering leaves; they were called spirits. The Aborigines were frightened by the bright winged creatures appearing from nowhere and disappearing into nowhere. Superstitious fear was caused by twigs with beady eyes that came to life in the hands.
But these were huge insects, capable of fantastic camouflage. Their unusual body shape and coloring allow them to hide from predators on plants. Stick insects can also resemble dry straws, sticks, slivers, pieces of bark, and dried leaves, thanks to which they easily blend into the surrounding world and are very unnoticeable. This quality is very important for insects, which are a tasty morsel for birds and animals. If a megastick insect sits on a branch, it will become its absolute copy, and a common person will never notice him. This requires only the trained eye of an entomologist.
For a protective posture, the stick insect uses catalepsy - a special property that ensures the body remains motionless in the most uncomfortable or awkward position for a long time.
The largest insects in the world are very calm and not at all dangerous. The insects are not poisonous and can be picked up, but some stick insects emit odorous substances that cause allergies or a slight burn.
They reproduce with incomplete metamorphosis: the female lays eggs, from which nymph larvae hatch a month later. In the initial stage of development, the larvae are similar to the adult, only small.
Different kinds Stick insects live from six months to 2.5 years. Insects are nocturnal; during the day they hide in the dense foliage of plants, showing no signs of life. They only eat plant foods. Their life is a constant search for food.
Most species of stick insects were bred in the human world; they easily get used to a new environment and become attached to their place of residence. Their diet is quite simple - ivy, blackberries, legumes, hibiscus, raspberries, blackberries, rose hips, mimosa, oak twigs, acorns. Sometimes they feast on fruits fruit trees or vegetables. At a young age they actively grow, molt and eat the skin.
Insects are generally unpretentious and easy to care for. What to consider:
- The house is a small glass container called an insectarium. Its height should be at least three times the length of the stick insect. The insectaria needs good ventilation. The temperature for keeping stick insects is up to +26 °C. The thickness of the soil for the insectarium should be at least 7-10 cm. Steamed peat is best used.
- You need to take care of the supply of feed for the winter in advance. Frozen branches of oak, raspberry, lilac, and honeysuckle are best suited.
The most famous stick insect society in the world is located in the UK and is called the British Stick Insect Research Society.
Ueta is a collection of insects that unites more than 100 species. This species includes the heaviest insect – Deinacrida heteracantha. Its females grow up to 8.5 centimeters in length and weigh up to 70 grams! The largest part of the weight comes from the eggs, which are located in the abdominal cavity of the female. Without eggs, its weight is only 20 grams. The female lays eggs (up to 300 at a time), after which she dies.
The males of this species have very strong jaws, which they need to fight other members of their species, but they are absolutely harmless to humans.
Hueta bear a striking resemblance to common grasshoppers, only larger. When it is necessary to attack an opponent, they use their hind legs, which they throw in front of them with amazing speed and force. If this protective measure does not help, they fall on their backs, pretending to be dead. On their paws they have big thorns. Insects feed not only on flies and bugs, but also on some plants. They are also involved in seed dispersal. They live only in New Zealand. They are nocturnal.
Hueta cannot jump or fly; they are very thick insects. They are inactive and can travel only a few tens of meters during the night. They have large dark eyes and brown coloring. They have no obvious enemies other than humans.
The largest insects known to this moment, are beetles that reach a length of 20 or even more centimeters, and this is not counting the antennae. They live in Brazil, Peru, Colombia, and Ecuador. They are completely harmless to humans.
The insect is called the titan lumberjack. He has very powerful jaws, with which he tears wood, and can easily break a branch of medium thickness. Lives in rotten stumps and is nocturnal. One can only guess about their reproduction, because it is still unknown what their larvae look like. These are quite secretive insects. They can fly, but prefer to crawl, as they are very clumsy.
Distributed throughout the Amazon.
Large insects are nothing new, but this giant, which has been compared to the size of a kitten, really deserves attention. This huge insect lives in the mountains of Malaysia. The giant long-legged grasshopper is nocturnal. Only in dark time days they go in search of food or mate. Their diet consists mainly of plants, but sometimes they do not mind eating insects.
The legs of these largest grasshoppers on the planet are very long. But they jump and run poorly, preferring to move slowly on the ground.
One of the largest insects in the world and very heavy, living on our globe. For an insect, its weight is simply enormous. The rhinoceros cockroach is 9 centimeters long and weighs up to 40 grams. He lives exclusively in Australia, where the climate and habitat suit him. It settles in soft leaf litter, which it eats. She loves eucalyptus bedding most of all.
The rhinoceros cockroach is a long-liver. It lives for 10 years, which is a lot and not natural for an insect.
Not the largest, but the heaviest insect on our planet is the goliath beetle. The length of males reaches 11 cm, width - 6 cm, females are 5-8 centimeters in length. The Goliath beetle weighs from 80 to 100 grams! For comparison, a sparrow weighs only 40 grams. These insects live in New Guinea and are related to the cockchafer.
Goliaths feed on leaves, tree sap and the pulp of overripe fruits. They spend their entire lives in trees, descending to the ground only to reproduce. They are slow, clumsy and clumsy, but they fly well.
Females differ from males only in weight and head shape. The female has a shield-shaped growth on her head, with which she digs a hole for laying eggs, like a shovel. The head of males is decorated with horns for fighting.
Huge beetles have huge larvae, they reach up to fifteen centimeters in length and weigh 110 grams! Their diet is limited to humus and weaker relatives.
People just recently learned about the existence of the Goliath beetle, and now many collectors want it in their collection.
The giant Asian mantis is practically no different from its smaller relatives. It lives in Southeast Asia, as well as in India, Nepal, and Sri Lanka.
These insects live in the foliage of trees and bushes, move to daytime days, they fly reluctantly. An adult reaches 9-10 centimeters in size, but females are larger than males. Throughout their lives, they change color many times from brown, black, to white or red. The color depends on the background on which the mantis molted. For example, if an insect molts against the background of grass, then it will be green, if against the background of tree bark it will be brown. This a real chameleon in the world of insects!
This one most likely molted against the background of dry leaves.
You should not joke with this insect, it is very aggressive, especially females. All praying mantises are predators. They easily deal with not only grasshoppers, butterflies, aphids, flies, wasps, poisonous spiders and ladybugs, but even small lizards, mice and chicks. In especially hungry years, females eat males, but on the contrary - never. If you take a praying mantis in your hand, it can bite your finger until it bleeds. This is unpleasant, but not life-threatening.
Mantises, including the giant Asian one, are the only ones in the insect world that can look behind their backs. Exotic lovers keep praying mantises at home as their favorite pets.