Giant long-legged grasshopper: Malaysia. Interesting fact: these grasshoppers are considered the largest insects on the planet.
Titan Lumberjack: French Guiana and Brazil Interesting fact: scientists have never been able to detect its larvae, but there is an assumption that they feed for several years inside the tree before pupating.
Elephant beetle: Mexico and Venezuela Interesting fact: the life cycle of an adult is from one to three months.
Goliath beetle: Ghana, Ivory Coast, equatorial Africa Interesting fact: they feed mainly on tree sap and fruits.
Rhinoceros cockroach: Australia Interesting fact: these are the largest cockroaches on the planet.
Phalanx (camel spider): deserts of the Middle East Interesting fact: these spiders hid in the sleeping bags of soldiers.
Giant stick insect: distributed throughout the world. Interesting fact: they are the longest insects in the world.
Giant weta: New Zealand Interesting fact: this is the heaviest insect, it can be as heavy as a swallow.
Giant isopods: Gulf of Mexico Interesting fact: it is a direct relative of woodlice.
Peacock-eye: Southeast Asia Interesting fact: in India, these butterflies are grown for silk.
- Tarantula Hawk: New Mexico, also found throughout the world. Interesting fact: they hunt tarantulas and feed their meat to their larvae.
- Giant water bugs: distributed throughout the world. Interesting fact: in Thailand they are eaten as a delicacy.
Queen Alexandra's Birdwing: Papua New Guinea Interesting fact: it is the largest butterfly on the planet. The first specimen found was shot with a shotgun.
- Chinese Mantis: Worldwide Fun Fact: Native to China, they were first introduced to North America in 1895 as a pest control option.
Theraphosa Blonda: tropical forests of South America Interesting fact: the largest spider in the world. Capable of hunting frogs, toads, lizards, mice and even small snakes.
Japanese huge hornet: Japan Interesting fact: this insect can chase its prey up to 5 km. They kill an average of about 40 people a year, more than any other wild animal in Japan.
Source: https://zagony.ru/2011/03/24/16_samykh_bolshikh_nasekomykh_na_planete_16_foto__tekst.html
Top 10 largest insects in the world on Earth
On earth, more than 80% of species are occupied by insects. There are about 900,000 different insect species on Earth, and about a million are still waiting to be discovered. Most of them are very disgusting and scary, but they are a very important part of this environment.
The largest insects that ever lived on earth were dragonflies, similar to the Protodonata insects. They had wings almost 76 cm across and huge jaws, but they have been around for a long time. Here is a list of the world's 10 largest insects on Earth. This list contains the largest insect that exists on earth currently.
Tarantula Hawk
The Tarantula Hawk is popular because it hunts the tarantula as food for its larvae. They are primarily found in New Mexico. It is 2 inches long but has a 1/3 inch bite and is considered the second most painful insect sting in the world. It burns and paralyzes the spider and lays an egg on the spider's stomach.
Giant burrowing rhinoceros cockroach
The giant burrowing cockroach is also known as the rhinoceros cockroach and beetles. They are the heaviest cockroach species in the world and are mainly found in Australia and tropical Queensland. They can grow up to 35 grams in weight and 3.1 inches in length. They can live up to 10 years and can be identified by the scoop on their head, males have a scoop on their head but females do not.
Goliath beetle
The goliath beetle is one of the world's strongest contenders for the largest insects on earth. They are mainly found in Africa and can grow up to 4 inches in length and up to 100 cm in height. They feed mainly on tree sap and fruits. They are vegetarians and eat cat and dog food. The male is black and white in color and the female is dark brown or silky white in color.
Giant Weta
The Giant Weta is one of the heaviest insects in the world, found in New Zealand. They can grow up to 4 inches in length and typically weigh more than a sparrow. They are found only on islands and are known as island gigantism. They tend to be less social and more passive than other Weta.
Giant long-legged katydids
Giant long-legged katydids are the largest katydid species in the world. It belongs to the tettigoniidae family, which has almost 6,400 species and looks like grasshoppers and crickets. They can grow up to 6 inches in length. Their natural habitat includes the forests of Malaysia, where its leaf-like structure helps them hide from predators.
Giant camel spider
The giant camel spider is also known as the scorpion spider, sun spider or soliphugus. It has two markings and an abdominal cavity behind the prosoma, which combines the head and thorax. Most of the giant camel spider lives in dry climates and feeds on antipodes and small animals. They can grow up to 5-6 inches and are very fast on land compared to other invertebrates with a top speed of 10 mph.
Lumberjack Titan
The Titan beetle is a Neotropical longhorn beetle and the second largest known beetle. They can grow up to 7 inches in length. Their jaws can cut a pencil in two and tear human flesh. They are mainly found in the Amazon rainforest, but larvae have never been found. They are thought to feed inside the tree and may take several years to reach full size.
Peacock eye atlas
These bird-sized moths are considered to be the largest moths in the world. They are brown in color with triangular windows on both wings. In Southeast Asia, these moths are farmed for their silk, and their cocoons are sometimes used as purses in Taiwan. The largest moths have a wingspan of over 10 inches.
Queen Alexandra's Birdwing
Queen Alexandra's Birdwing is the largest butterfly in the world. Females can reach a wingspan of 12.2 inches, including a body length of 3.2 inches. Found only in Papua New Guinea. The female butterfly has brown wings with white markings, while the males are bluish-green with a black central stripe.
Giant stick insect
The giant stick insect is the longest insect on earth. It has a strange shape to hide itself from predators among the branches. The giant stick insect is found in Southeast Asia and is the longest insect, measuring about 2 feet in length. Some of these species may produce a pungent odor for protection, but they are harmless to humans.
Source: https://new-science.ru/top-10-samyh-bolshih-nasekomyh-v-mire-na-zemle/
Black hornet sting
The bite is more painful than that of most species. An attack by a colony leads to unfavorable consequences.
The poison consists of:
- bradykinin;
- histamine;
- antigens;
- formic acid.
Symptoms may include:
- severe throbbing pain;
- cardiopalmus;
- shortness of breath;
- severe itching.
Damage to the nest can provoke an attack. When appearing on the site, do not touch the hive. It can be eliminated only when the queen leaves the home.
Hornets can sting repeatedly. Sensitive people may experience swelling of the mucous membrane and headache. In rare cases - Quincke's edema.
The largest insects in the world
There are so many varieties of insects on the planet that scientists cannot count them. It is believed that the Earth is inhabited by about 3 million species of these creatures. They all differ from each other in their lifestyle, body structure, role in the ecosystem, degree of danger to humans and size. The article presents the TOP 17 largest insects living in different parts of the planet.
Giant hornet
The giant hornet or Vespa mandarinia is a rare endemic found in China, Japan and India. The insect is less common in the mountainous areas of Sri Lanka. The giant hornet also lives in Russia, but only in the Primorsky Territory and near the Anyui River (Khabarovsk region).
The length of an adult individual exceeds 5 cm, and its wingspan reaches 75 mm.
The main distinguishing feature of Vespa mandarinia from other representatives of Hymenoptera is its large head and long sting. The Chinese and Japanese call this insect the “sparrow bee” or “tiger bee.” It is not advisable to contact it, as its bite can cause pain, local swelling and a severe allergic reaction.
Rhinoceros cockroach
Another name for the insect is the burrowing cockroach. The body length of females reaches 8 cm, and their weight ranges from 35-45 grams, which is equal to the mass of a small bird from the passerine family. Despite their name, rhinoceros cockroaches do not have horns, but they are quite nimble and active.
Insects spend most of their time searching for food (eucalyptus leaves, berries, fruits) and digging underground passages in which they lay eggs and raise offspring. Cubs of burrowing cockroaches live with their mother for 8-9 months, after which they begin to feed on their own and establish burrows in the ground.
The rhinoceros cockroach is the oldest representative of insects. Presumably, he appeared on Earth 300,000,000 years ago. It easily adapts to new conditions and is able to survive high levels of radiation. This was the reason why it did not become extinct.
Hercules beetle
A large beetle from the genus Dynastes, the distinctive feature of which is two huge horns. They function as a means of protection against natural enemies, help to dig in the ground and fight with rivals during the mating period. Hercules beetles live in the forests of Central and North America and the Caribbean islands.
The creature got its name due to the fact that it is capable of carrying objects that exceed its mass by 100 times. The beetle is also enormous in size. The length of females reaches 8 cm, and males grow up to 17.
Giant scolopendra
The giant scolopendra was nicknamed a fast killer with poisonous legs and was called the largest insect on the planet. She is a rather aggressive creature and often attacks first. Scolopendra inhabits the tropics of South America, feeding on lizards, small snakes, birds and frogs.
Occasionally eats plant foods or dives into the water for fish.
In addition to its length of 25-30 centimeters, the scolopendra became famous for its powerful legs, allowing it to jump great distances, and its fast-acting poison.
If a scolopendra bites a small animal, it will die in a matter of minutes. The person will not die from the poison, but will experience terrible pain, fever and severe swelling of the soft tissues.
Death can only occur if the victim has allergies.
Flowers you can and cannot keep at home
Queen Alexandra's Birdwing
A beautiful day butterfly from the Swallowtail family, found by the famous businessman and insect collector Walter Rothschild. He named the find in honor of the wife of the English monarch Edward VII. The birdwing is native to Papua New Guinea.
In the 20th century, a significant part of the butterfly population was destroyed by the Lamington volcano, which is why the species was listed as endangered in the Red Book. The largest insect of this species is kept in a London museum. The length of its abdomen is 80 mm, and the mass of a dried specimen exceeds 11 grams.
Goliath beetle
They are considered one of the most beautiful beetles in the world, and all thanks to their interesting features. They have the original black and white color. Males reach a length from 80 to 110 mm, and females from 50 to 80 mm. The weight is not small: approximately 47 grams. According to eyewitnesses, there are individuals reaching 100 grams. Where can you find such a miracle? To do this, you will have to travel to Central or Southeast America.
Queen Alexandra's Birdwing / Ornithoptera alexandrae
In second place is again a butterfly - Queen Alexandra's Birdwing. Its wingspan reaches 28 cm. It is considered the largest butterfly in the world. Queen Alexandra's Birdwing received its name in honor of Queen Alexandra of Great Britain, who lived in the 19th and 20th centuries. The habitat of this beautiful butterfly is limited to New Zealand and only to places where you can find kirkazon plants on which it feeds and in which it lays eggs.
Chan's megastick insect / Phobaeticus chani
And finally, we answer the question - what is the largest insect in the world. This is Chan's Megastick. The record length of this amazing insect was recorded in 1989 and amounted to 57 cm. Chan's megastick insect is a born master of camouflage; it is almost impossible to distinguish it from a tree branch. This is probably why only 3 specimens of this amazing creature were found, all in Malaysia.
So our top list of the largest insects on our planet has come to an end. We hope you enjoyed reading our article.
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Peacock-eye atlas / Attacus atlas
Our top list of the most gigantic insects in the world continues with the Atlas Peacock-eye butterfly. Its wingspan reaches 25 cm. This insect received its name in honor of the ancient Greek titan Atlas, who held the sky on his shoulders. A remarkable fact is that this butterfly lives only 2 weeks and does not eat anything at all; I use the supply of nutrients obtained during its stay as a caterpillar. The atlas peacock eye can be found in the countries of Southeast Asia.
Solpuga
Salpuga opens the top three largest insects in our ranking. Has many different nicknames, such as phalanx or camel spider. The word “salpuga” is translated from Latin as “running away from the light of the sun.” This is true, since among representatives of this species there are those who live during the day. However, they are mainly nocturnal.
These large insects with unpredictable behavior look similar to spiders, but they are not spiders. The structure and arrangement of the limbs, the presence of chelicerae are similar to arachnids; they are all covered with long hairs. They carry a combination of the incongruous: a primitive structure and a highly developed tracheal system. They grow up to 7 centimeters long.
The camel spider is an aggressive predator; it attacks anyone it can defeat. Aggression also manifests itself towards each other.
Giant scolopendra / Scolopendra gigantea
The top three of our list opens with the Giant Scolopendra, the largest living centipede. This insect can reach a length of about 27 cm. The legs of the Giant Scolopendra end in poisonous claws, which it plunges into its prey. This aggressive insect preys on lizards, rodents and even small birds. It is noteworthy that this representative of the fauna has poor eyesight and focuses on special receptors sensitive to the effects of chemicals.
Water scorpion
In seventh place on the list of the largest insects in the world is the water scorpion. Received this name for its external resemblance to a scorpion. The limbs in front look like claws, and at the back there is a tail. But upon closer inspection, it becomes clear that these are not claws, but legs, and the tail is two breathing tubes. The length of adult individuals reaches up to 4.5 centimeters. Scorpions are well camouflaged, their appearance bears a striking resemblance to dead leaves floating on the surface of the water.
Interestingly, these predatory insects swim very poorly and practically do not fly due to underdeveloped wings. They live in bodies of water with standing water and dense vegetation. They can sit in ambush for hours and wait for their prey. They kill by inflicting a fatal bite.
Top ten largest insects in the world
Despite the fact that insects are considered one of the smallest inhabitants of our planet, among them there are some really large specimens that can give a head start in size even to some vertebrates. Many people are interested in finding out what are the largest insects in the world.
In our article we have compiled the top largest representatives of this class of invertebrate animals. Don’t be surprised that you won’t find spiders in it, because, oddly enough, spiders, despite all their external similarity, do not belong to insects, representing a separate class, to which we will devote a special article.
So, let's get started and quickly answer the question - what is the largest insect in the world.
Giant Hornet / Vespa mandarinia
Our top 10 largest insects in the world open with the Giant Hornet, which lives mainly in Asian countries, but it can also be found in Russia in the Primorsky Territory.
This hornet reaches a length of about 5 cm, its poison is very toxic and dangerous for people who are allergic to such stings. Throughout history, many deaths from bites of these dangerous insects have been recorded.
Another remarkable fact is that the Giant Hornet can pursue its target up to 5 km, so it is better not to anger these representatives of the fauna.
Rhinoceros cockroach / Macropanesthia rhinoceros
In ninth place is the heaviest and largest cockroach in the world - the Rhinoceros Cockroach. Its length reaches 8 centimeters, and its weight often exceeds 30 grams. This brown giant lives in the forests of Australia.
Where it digs long underground tunnels for itself, hence its second name, the Giant Digging Cockroach.
Surprisingly, this insect is very popular among people, who often keep them as pets.
Giant Weta / Deinacrida heteracantha
Eighth place on our list is occupied by the Giant Weta, females of which can reach 9 cm in length, and their weight often exceeds 70 grams. The hind legs of this insect are covered with many spines (this is clearly visible in the photo), with the help of which Ueta defends itself from enemies by a kind of kicking. These giant “grasshoppers” live in New Zealand.
Giant water bug / Belostomatidae
Our top of the largest insects continues with the Giant water bug. If you think that bedbugs live only on land, you are deeply mistaken. This largest representative of this order of insects lives in water and reaches a size of about 15 cm.
Needless to say, the bite of such a giant is very painful; their prey is mainly small fish and frogs. Another remarkable fact is that female water bugs lay their eggs directly on the back of the male. He carries them on himself for about 10 days, after which new offspring hatch.
Surprisingly, many Asian countries consider this insect a delicacy and readily eat it.
Hercules beetle / Dynastes hercules
Next on our list is walking or crawling:) The Hercules beetle. The size of this giant beetle reaches 18 cm. These insects inhabit the forests of South and Central America, as well as the Caribbean countries.
The male of this fauna can be easily distinguished by his “trademark” long horn; females have no horns at all.
This beetle earned its nickname because it can carry objects hundreds of times its own weight.
Titan Lumberjack / Titanus giganteus
In fifth place we again have a representative of beetles - the Titan Lumberjack. It is considered the largest beetle on our planet. The Titan woodcutter, according to various sources, reaches a size of 22 cm.
This insect has very powerful jaws, with the help of which it tears apart the wood in which it likes to hide during the daytime. Snacking on an ordinary pencil is a piece of cake for him. You can meet these giants in the tropical forests of South America.
Description
The black water bug is the largest representative of water beetles. Its length is 28-48 mm. The body is ovoid, strongly convex on top, black with an olive-greenish tint and with red spots on the sides of the abdomen. The underside of the body is covered with thick hair. The elytra are tightly connected at the seam, forming an air cavity for breathing. The wings are well developed, the legs are widened and equipped with bristles.
First aid for a black hornet bite
Hornet bite.
If unpleasant consequences occur:
- treat the affected area with hydrogen peroxide, potassium permanganate, and ammonia. Ammonia is mixed with water in a ratio of 5:1. If these drugs are not available, wash with water;
- apply ice or a heating pad with ice water;
- It is appropriate to use onions, parsley leaves, dandelion juice, plantain leaves;
- drink plenty of water. It is not recommended to drink soda;
- The use of “Cetrin”, “Suprastin”, “Tavegil” - antihistamines will help. Intramuscular injections will act faster;
- if the swelling intensifies, then go to the hospital.
