Monday, December 5, 2011

BIG Bugs

Have you ever seen a moth with a 12-inch wing span?  The White Witch moth is found in Mexico, Central and South America and besides being big has an incredible bric-a-brac design on its wings.

Source:  Wikipedia

Ever seen a cricket as big as your hand?  Check out the giant weta only found in New Zealand.  This particular one was found on the Little Barrier Island.  It's one of 11 species of giant weta.

Source:  Wikipedia

Ever seen a walking stick almost two feet long?  A species known as Chan's megastick is only found in Borneo, but there have only been a few specimens found, including this one at the Natural History Museum in London.


Rivaling the white witch moth in size is the Atlas moth, endemic to Southeast Asia, but its wing pattern and coloring is much more spectacular. 

Source:  Wikipedia

In Laos you might want to check out the Giant Huntsman Spider, considered the biggest spider by leg span - 12 inches.

Source:  Wikipedia

But by weight and mass, the Goliath birdeater from South America is heavier and is certainly more impressive!  Birds are not its normal diet, but it supposedly got its name when one spider was seen eating a hummingbird.

Source:  Wikipedia

And beetles?  The Goliath beetle from Africa is another monster bug.

Source:  Daily Mail

How would you like that crawling into your sleeping bag with you?  And the largest of the rhinoceros beetles, the Hercules beetle from Central and South America, ain't too shabby either.

Source:  Wikipedia

And a cockroach bigger than your thumb?  Check out the Madagascar hissing cockroach.

Source:  Wikipedia

Hope I didn't give you nightmares, but big bugs are kind of cool!

You can click on any of the Wikipedia links under the pictures to find out more.  For a video of the Goliath bird-eating spider, click here.  For a video about the Hercules beetle, click here.

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