The largest stick insect. The largest insects in the world

The giant stick insect, known in many countries as the Tree lobster, was thought to be extinct for about 80 years, and was found on a small rocky island in the ocean at an altitude of 152 meters.

Pictured is Patrick Honan and Nicholas Carlile with giant stick insects

The "tree lobster" is considered the rarest insect on our planet. Until today, this insect, known as Dryococelus australis, could only be seen on Lord Howe Island in 1918-1920. In those years, the English sailors who landed on this island were greatly impressed by local palm-sized insects. But a little later, rats appeared on the island and after this no one saw the giant stick insect on this island. It was officially declared extinct.

But already in 2001, scientists made an incredible discovery: at a distance of about 30 nautical miles in the southeast direction from Lord Howe, on a tiny rocky island located in the ocean and called Ball’s Pyramid, about 20 giant stick insects were found, which hid in the roots of the few bushes growing on this island.

Australian naturalists Nicholas Carlile and David Priddel discovered the “tree lobsters.” They had a goal: Nicholas and David decided to increase the population of these rare insects. And after some time, according to a special program, they brought four stick insects to Australia. Two stick insects, unfortunately, died, but the remaining two still survived and even laid eggs.

Ball's Pyramid in the Tasman Sea east coast Australia - satellite view

By 2008, there were 700 giant stick insects at the Melbourne Zoo, and scientists continued the struggle to increase this number. rare species, so that it does not disappear, as the stick insects from Lord Howe Island once did. The “Tree Lobsters” were successfully relocated to this small island, but first all the rats on it were destroyed.

In the video you can see a unique phenomenon: a huge insect “hatches” from a miniature egg... Such an egg matures for more than six months. Nature can sometimes surprise much more than all the fanciful fantasies of world filmmakers.

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. In tropical forests you have to often look around so that a huge flying beetle does not 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 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 most long insect . Its length is 12 cm, weight – up to 25 g. Outwardly they look like a twig, which is why they easily mimic. Capable of long time freeze in an unnatural position.

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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

Peacock Butterfly – 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.

The rarest insect on earth July 24th, 2013

These are perhaps the most unusual insects, if only because 95 years ago they were already considered completely extinct. It's about about the tree lobster, or the giant Australian stick insect (Dryococelus Australis). It is he who challenges the title of the longest insect of another species from New Guinea - Eurycantha calcarata (spiny devil, or spiny stick insect).

Australian giant stick insects (their size is 12 cm long and 1.5 cm wide) were discovered on Lord Howe Island in 1788. But, as for many animals that lived there, the discovery of the island by man brought death. By 1918, the insect, which could not fly, was completely destroyed, simply eaten by black rats that got there from a ship that crashed near the island. Before this, the giant Australian stick insect had no natural enemies.

True, in 1960, information was received from another volcanic island of Balls Pyramid about insect corpses discovered there, but no living individuals were found, therefore the giant stick insects from Lord Howe continued to be considered extinct from the face of the earth.

One of the most beautiful natural attractions of Australia is one of the oldest volcanic islands of the Pacific Ocean - Lord Howe and Ball's Pyramids.

Despite its tiny size, the island can be seen from afar, because Bols Pyramid is the highest volcanic cliff on Earth! With a length of just over a thousand meters and a width of about three hundred, the highest point of the island is at an altitude of 562 meters, which makes it look like a sail)

I will tell you in detail about this island and show you everything a little later :-)

In subsequent years, researchers visiting the island also found the remains of stick insects, and, having assessed the vegetation there, made the assumption that it was quite enough for insects to feed on. In 2001, two entomologists made another attempt to find stick insects on the island, if they were still present. The difficulty was that it was very difficult to moor to the rocky island from the sea, and yet the rescue team managed to land on shore.

The fact that lobsters were eventually found on Ball's Pyramid is almost a fantasy in which life chose the only option out of all possible, even though in fact this option was also impossible. Ball's Pyramid is a rock two dozen kilometers away from the island, on which it is simply impossible for tree lobsters to survive: a single bush could hardly solve anything.

Two Australian naturalists, David Priddel and Nicholas Carlile, discovered the stick insects.

But he decided: climbers who, despite the prohibitions on Ball’s Pyramid, climbed every now and then, talked about strange holes in the ground. When biologists studied the holes, it turned out that they were all empty. But the freshness of the pits themselves forced me to look for happiness at night - and luck came.

24 individuals, which constituted the limit of the colony in size due to the presence of only one bush, were quietly testing their luck. Biologists were afraid that the fantastically surviving lobsters, having survived decades on the rock, could be swept away by heavy winds and everything would be lost before people returned. But the lobsters dutifully waited for both biologists and fate in the old place.

In one 100-meter crevice along the coastline, they found the droppings of a large insect under the Melaleuca howeana bush (a plant from the myrtle genus), and when they returned to that place at nightfall, they found the stick insects themselves. At the same time, a program was developed for the conservation and restoration of the species in wildlife, although at that time nothing was known about their lifestyle. In 2003, two breeding pairs were discovered at Balls Pyramids, one of which was delivered to a private breeder in Sydney, the other was sent to Melbourne Zoo.

It turned out that adult Australian giant stick insects are wingless and lead night look life and feed only on one type of bush. To date, through the efforts of experts at the Melbourne Zoo, these insects have been brought to a safe threshold, and 10,000 adult insects have been obtained.

At the same time, the zoo supports future insect embryos - several thousand more species. Essentially, the tree lobster has been returned to the book of life. And although it was returned by human hands, it must be admitted: the fantastic luck of this harmless and frightening family of insects strongly suggests the idea that the thirst for life is capable of working miracles at any level of development of life itself.

They plan to use captive-bred stick insects to supplement wild populations in nature and restore them to Lord Howe Island once all the black rats are eliminated.

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, when he first classified these animals, called them ghostlike. There have long been legends about living branches and wandering leaves; they were called spirits. The Aborigines were frightened by 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 shape bodies 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 eat only 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 the fruits of fruit trees or vegetables. IN at a young age 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 the dark do 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. Lives in South East Asia, as well as in India, Nepal, Sri Lanka.

These insects live in the foliage of trees and bushes, move during the daytime, and 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 is 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 never, on the contrary. 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 favorite pets.

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 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 largest insect species 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 tropical and subtropical forests 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 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 elephant megasoma) is a large insect, growing 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

It is amazing 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. Please 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 on his shoulders firmament. 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 largest representative of the Leatherwing order, 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 cm 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 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 a giant species of beetle, easily recognized 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 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. The length of this variety dipteran 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 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 moth agrippina 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 enormous size (about 12 centimeters in length) and impressive mandibles (lower jaws) that resemble 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 living on our planet, the giant homoptera dragonfly is also scientifically 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 a 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 largest wingspan of these insects is a whopping 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, it was discovered in the southern province of Guangxi the new kind insect. 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.