More than 80 percent of all living things on earth are insects. At present, about 900 thousand different species are known to science, and how many are still unknown? Maybe a million, maybe more. Some of them seem scary and disgusting, others are fascinated by their amazing diversity.
We want to introduce you to ten types of record-breaking insects, among which there are the smallest, the most dangerous, the most desperate, the loudest ...
Largest insect: ueta, a giant from Barrier Island
Weta (Deinacrida heteracantha) is a giant insect native to Little Barrier Island in New Zealand. It is the largest and heaviest insect in the world. The weight of one individual reaches 71 grams, and the length is more than 8.5 centimeters. These insects are relatives of grasshoppers and the entire cricket family. Today, the ueta is a very rare endangered species.
The smallest insect
Tiny insects of the wasp family are the smallest known to science. The birthplace of these insects is Costa Rica. Male individuals of this species reach only 0.14 millimeters in length, they are smaller in size than a single-celled ciliate shoe that can be found in lake water. This species feeds on the larvae of other insects.
Most Poisonous Insect: Maricopa Ant
Maricopa ants (Pogonomyrmex Maricopa) are the most poisonous insects in the world, but this does not threaten humans in any way. The venom of this ant is 25 times stronger than the venom of the honey bee, but it is released so little that maricopa ants are completely harmless. When you read the title, you probably thought of some kind of giant Japanese hornet or an African killer bee. Everything turned out to be much simpler, the most poisonous insect lives in almost every backyard in America.
The longest migrations in the world of insects: red vagrant
Pantala flavescens or, as it is also called, red stray. This dragonfly species has the longest migration in the world of insects. Even the migration of the Monarch Butterfly cannot be compared with it. These dragonflies travel from India to East and South Africa and back with the monsoons, their journey is approximately 14-18 thousand kilometers. In addition, the long journey of these insects makes them easy prey for migratory birds. Thus, if something happens to this species, it will be very difficult for the birds to survive long flights without constant food.
Fastest winged insect: southern giant yoke
This species of dragonfly is capable of speeds of up to 35 miles per hour, making it the fastest-winged insect in the world. Some believe that other insects can fly up to 60 miles per hour. Scientists do not agree with this statement, however, many consider the issue of flight speed to be very controversial. Opinions were divided between dragonflies, butterflies and horseflies. There are many unsubstantiated rumors about the speed of each of these species.
The most frightening insect: locusta migratoria
The Locusta migratoria or migratory locust is perhaps the most terrifying insect known to man. Despite the fact that mosquitoes are to blame for many human deaths, it was locusts that always made people scream in horror. Locust swarms are rare these days, but they are still found in some parts of the world: this was the case in Madagascar last year, or, for example, the locust attack in 2004, which affected several countries in West and North Africa and resulted in losses of 2.5 billion dollars.
The most tenacious insect: the German cockroach
I think few people will be surprised by the title of this paragraph. In the sense that everyone has heard something like: after a nuclear war, only cockroaches will survive. And yet there is a rather curious case: the larva of the German cockroach (Blattaria germanica) managed to survive in a very unfavorable environment for her - in the colon of a 52-year-old woman. Apparently, she got there with food and somehow managed not to suffer from the digestive enzymes of the stomach.
The rarest insect: piercing insect from Lord Howe Island
This rather large insect of the piercing family lives on Lord Howe Island between Australia and New Zealand. This species is also an example of what biologists call the Lazarus effect, which is when a species is considered extinct and then found again. The number of Dryococelus australis today is no more than 50 individuals, at the time of their rediscovery there were only 24.
The insect is endangered, however, there is hope for the restoration of the species. The Melbourne Zoo in Australia is trying to breed 9,000 individuals under a special program.
Loudest insect: rower
The rower (Micronecta scholtzi) is a species of cicada and, for its size, is the loudest on earth. The cicada family is generally known for its sound, some species can sing with a power of 120 dB. The rower, having a length of only 2 mm, is capable of creating a noise of 99.2 dB. It's like sitting in the front row in front of an orchestra, or the sound of a jackhammer 50 feet away.
The largest colony of insects: Argentine ants
Argentine ants (Linepithema humile) have the largest insect colony in the world, they can even compete in numbers with humanity. Scientists have found that insects of this species that live in America, Europe and Japan belong to the same colonies, because they refuse to fight with each other.
Moreover, a series of experiments showed that these supercolonies could practically be one huge colony of ants, since the participants in the experiments did not show hostility towards each other and recognized "their" smell, despite the distance of thousands of miles. In addition, this incredible phenomenon seems to have been created by people who accidentally transported ants from South America to other continents.
More than 80 percent of all living things on earth are insects. At present, about 900 thousand different species are known to science, and how many are still unknown? Maybe a million, maybe more. Some of them seem scary and disgusting, others are fascinated by their amazing diversity.
We want to introduce you to ten types of record-breaking insects, among which there are the smallest, the most dangerous, the most desperate, the loudest ...
Largest insect: ueta, a giant from Barrier Island
Weta (Deinacrida heteracantha) is a giant insect native to Little Barrier Island in New Zealand. It is the largest and heaviest insect in the world. The weight of one individual reaches 71 grams, and the length is more than 8.5 centimeters. These insects are relatives of grasshoppers and the entire cricket family. Today, the ueta is a very rare endangered species.
The smallest insect: dicopomorpha echmepterygis
Tiny insects of the wasp family are the smallest known to science. The birthplace of these insects is Costa Rica. Male individuals of this species reach only 0.14 millimeters in length, they are smaller in size than a single-celled ciliate shoe that can be found in lake water. This species feeds on the larvae of other insects.
Most Poisonous Insect: Maricopa Ant
Maricopa ants (Pogonomyrmex Maricopa) are the most poisonous insects in the world, but this does not threaten humans in any way. The venom of this ant is 25 times stronger than the venom of the honey bee, but it is released so little that maricopa ants are completely harmless. When you read the title, you probably thought of some kind of giant Japanese hornet or an African killer bee. Everything turned out to be much simpler, the most poisonous insect lives in almost every backyard in America.
The longest migrations in the world of insects: red vagrant
Pantala flavescens or, as it is also called, red stray. This dragonfly species has the longest migration in the world of insects. Even the migration of the Monarch Butterfly cannot be compared with it. These dragonflies travel from India to East and South Africa and back with the monsoons, their journey is approximately 14-18 thousand kilometers. In addition, the long journey of these insects makes them easy prey for migratory birds. Thus, if something happens to this species, it will be very difficult for the birds to survive long flights without constant food.
Fastest winged insect: southern giant yoke
This species of dragonfly is capable of speeds of up to 35 miles per hour, making it the fastest-winged insect in the world. Some believe that other insects can fly up to 60 miles per hour. Scientists do not agree with this statement, however, many consider the issue of flight speed to be very controversial. Opinions were divided between dragonflies, butterflies and horseflies. There are many unsubstantiated rumors about the speed of each of these species.
The most frightening insect: locusta migratoria
The Locusta migratoria or migratory locust is perhaps the most terrifying insect known to man. Despite the fact that mosquitoes are to blame for many human deaths, it was locusts that always made people scream in horror. Locust swarms are rare these days, but they are still found in some parts of the world: this was the case in Madagascar last year, or, for example, the locust attack in 2004, which affected several countries in West and North Africa and resulted in losses of 2.5 billion dollars.
The most tenacious insect: the German cockroach
I think few people will be surprised by the title of this item. In the sense that everyone has heard something like: after a nuclear war, only cockroaches will survive. And yet there is a rather curious case: the larva of the German cockroach (Blattaria germanica) managed to survive in a very unfavorable environment for her - in the colon of a 52-year-old woman. Apparently, she got there with food and somehow managed not to suffer from the digestive enzymes of the stomach.
The rarest insect: piercing insect from Lord Howe Island
This rather large insect of the piercing family lives on Lord Howe Island between Australia and New Zealand. This species is also an example of what biologists call the Lazarus effect, which is when a species is considered extinct and then found again. The number of Dryococelus australis today is no more than 50 individuals, at the time of their rediscovery there were only 24.
The insect is endangered, however, there is hope for the restoration of the species. The Melbourne Zoo in Australia is trying to breed 9,000 individuals under a special program.
Loudest insect: rower
The rower (Micronecta scholtzi) is a species of cicada and for its size is the loudest on earth. The cicada family is generally known for its sound, some species can sing with a power of 120 dB. The rower, having a length of only 2 mm, is capable of creating a noise of 99.2 dB. It's like sitting in the front row in front of an orchestra, or the sound of a jackhammer 50 feet away.
The largest colony of insects: Argentine ants
Argentine ants (Linepithema humile) have the largest insect colony in the world, they can even compete in numbers with humanity. Scientists have found that insects of this species that live in America, Europe and Japan belong to the same colonies, because they refuse to fight with each other.
Moreover, a series of experiments showed that these supercolonies could practically be one huge colony of ants, since the participants in the experiments did not show hostility towards each other and recognized “their” smell, despite the distance of thousands of miles. In addition, this incredible phenomenon seems to have been created by people who accidentally transported ants from South America to other continents.
More than 80 percent of all living things on earth are insects. At present, about 900 thousand different species are known to science, and how many are still unknown? Maybe a million, maybe more. Some of them seem scary and disgusting, others are fascinated by their amazing diversity.
We want to introduce you to ten types of record-breaking insects, among which there are the smallest, the most dangerous, the most desperate, the loudest ...
Largest insect: ueta, a giant from Barrier Island
Weta (Deinacrida heteracantha) is a giant insect native to Little Barrier Island in New Zealand. It is the largest and heaviest insect in the world. The weight of one individual reaches 71 grams, and the length is more than 8.5 centimeters. These insects are relatives of grasshoppers and the entire cricket family. Today, the ueta is a very rare endangered species.
The smallest insect: dicopomorpha echmepterygis
Tiny insects of the wasp family are the smallest known to science. The birthplace of these insects is Costa Rica. Male individuals of this species reach only 0.14 millimeters in length, they are smaller in size than a single-celled ciliate shoe that can be found in lake water. This species feeds on the larvae of other insects.
Most Poisonous Insect: Maricopa Ant
Maricopa ants (Pogonomyrmex Maricopa) are the most poisonous insects in the world, but this does not threaten humans in any way. The venom of this ant is 25 times stronger than the venom of the honey bee, but it is released so little that maricopa ants are completely harmless. When you read the title, you probably thought of some kind of giant Japanese hornet or an African killer bee. Everything turned out to be much simpler, the most poisonous insect lives in almost every backyard in America.
The longest migrations in the world of insects: red vagrant
Pantala flavescens or, as it is also called, red stray. This dragonfly species has the longest migration in the world of insects. Even the migration of the Monarch Butterfly cannot be compared with it. These dragonflies travel from India to East and South Africa and back with the monsoons, their journey is approximately 14-18 thousand kilometers. In addition, the long journey of these insects makes them easy prey for migratory birds. Thus, if something happens to this species, it will be very difficult for the birds to survive long flights without constant food.
Fastest winged insect: southern giant yoke
This species of dragonfly is capable of speeds of up to 35 miles per hour, making it the fastest-winged insect in the world. Some believe that other insects can fly up to 60 miles per hour. Scientists do not agree with this statement, however, many consider the issue of flight speed to be very controversial. Opinions were divided between dragonflies, butterflies and horseflies. There are many unsubstantiated rumors about the speed of each of these species.
The most frightening insect: locusta migratoria
The Locusta migratoria or migratory locust is perhaps the most terrifying insect known to man. Despite the fact that mosquitoes are to blame for many human deaths, it was locusts that always made people scream in horror. Locust swarms are rare these days, but they are still found in some parts of the world: this was the case in Madagascar last year, or, for example, the locust attack in 2004, which affected several countries in West and North Africa and resulted in losses of 2.5 billion dollars.
The most tenacious insect: the German cockroach
I think few people will be surprised by the title of this paragraph. In the sense that everyone has heard something like: after a nuclear war, only cockroaches will survive. And yet there is a rather curious case: the larva of the German cockroach (Blattaria germanica) managed to survive in a very unfavorable environment for her - in the colon of a 52-year-old woman. Apparently, she got there with food and somehow managed not to suffer from the digestive enzymes of the stomach.
The rarest insect: piercing insect from Lord Howe Island
This rather large insect of the piercing family lives on Lord Howe Island between Australia and New Zealand. This species is also an example of what biologists call the Lazarus effect, which is when a species is considered extinct and then found again. The number of Dryococelus australis today is no more than 50 individuals, at the time of their rediscovery there were only 24.
The insect is endangered, however, there is hope for the restoration of the species. The Melbourne Zoo in Australia is trying to breed 9,000 individuals under a special program.
Loudest insect: rower
The rower (Micronecta scholtzi) is a species of cicada and, for its size, is the loudest on earth. The cicada family is generally known for its sound, some species can sing with a power of 120 dB. The rower, having a length of only 2 mm, is capable of creating a noise of 99.2 dB. It's like sitting in the front row in front of an orchestra, or the sound of a jackhammer 50 feet away.
The largest colony of insects: Argentine ants
Argentine ants (Linepithema humile) have the largest insect colony in the world, they can even compete in numbers with humanity. Scientists have found that insects of this species that live in America, Europe and Japan belong to the same colonies, because they refuse to fight with each other.
Moreover, a series of experiments showed that these supercolonies could practically be one huge colony of ants, since the participants in the experiments did not show hostility towards each other and recognized “their” smell, despite the distance of thousands of miles. In addition, this incredible phenomenon seems to have been created by people who accidentally transported ants from South America to other continents.
The wingspan of the Queen Alexandra birdwing butterfly is 28 cm; the wingspan of the Athenian blue dwarf butterfly is only 1.4 cm. If all the offspring of just one pair of fruit flies survived and multiplied, then a year later, when the 25th generation appeared, these flies would form a ball the size of the Earth to the Sun .
The fastest flying insect is the hawk moth, flying at 53.6 km/h, but it appears to be cheating using a tailwind. More realistic is the figure of 28.5 km / h; the dragonfly Anax parthenops flies at such a speed.
Among the most ancient fossilized remains of insects, whose age exceeds 300 million years, are the wings of cockroaches. Try to catch a cockroach and you will see that it is very difficult. Cockroaches are excellent sprinters, they run 30 cm in a second, but this is only 1.8 km / h.
The so-called killer bees are a special kind of African honey bees that often attack humans and animals. Over the past 3 years in Venezuela, more than 70 people have died from their bites.
Male cicadas make the loudest sounds of any insect by vibrating ribbed plates in two resonator cavities on their abdomen. The sound of cicadas can be heard at a distance of over 400 m.
The largest order of insects is the Order of Coleoptera (beetles). It has about 330 thousand species, which is almost a third of the species of insects known to science.
The tallest termite mound found in Africa was 12.8 m high; it was only 3 meters across.
The tiny invisible mosquito makes 62,760 strokes per minute with its furry wings. There are reports that the queens of some termite species live up to 50 years, although their average lifespan is 15 years.
The sweetest, in the truest sense of the word, insects are aphids. About 5 billion individuals can feed on one hectare of plants. They annually release up to 2 tons of sugars into the soil in the form of honeydew.
The heavyweight champion among insects is the African goliath beetle, dressed in a massive shell. Its entire reaches 100 grams.
More than 80 percent of all living things on earth are insects. At present, about 900 thousand different species are known to science, and how many are still unknown? Maybe a million, maybe more. Some of them seem scary and disgusting, others are fascinated by their amazing diversity.
We want to introduce you to ten types of record-breaking insects, among which there are the smallest, the most dangerous, the most desperate, the loudest ...
Largest insect: ueta, a giant from Barrier Island
Weta (Deinacrida heteracantha) is a giant insect native to Little Barrier Island in New Zealand. It is the largest and heaviest insect in the world. The weight of one individual reaches 71 grams, and the length is more than 8.5 centimeters. These insects are relatives of grasshoppers and the entire cricket family. Today, the ueta is a very rare endangered species.
The smallest insect: dicopomorpha echmepterygis
Tiny insects of the wasp family are the smallest known to science. The birthplace of these insects is Costa Rica. Male individuals of this species reach only 0.14 millimeters in length, they are smaller in size than a single-celled ciliate shoe that can be found in lake water. This species feeds on the larvae of other insects.
Most Poisonous Insect: Maricopa Ant
Maricopa ants (Pogonomyrmex Maricopa) are the most poisonous insects in the world, but this does not threaten humans in any way. The venom of this ant is 25 times stronger than the venom of the honey bee, but it is released so little that maricopa ants are completely harmless. When you read the title, you probably thought of some kind of giant Japanese hornet or an African killer bee. Everything turned out to be much simpler, the most poisonous insect lives in almost every backyard in America.
The longest migrations in the world of insects: red vagrant
Pantala flavescens or, as it is also called, red stray. This dragonfly species has the longest migration in the world of insects. Even the migration of the Monarch Butterfly cannot be compared with it. These dragonflies travel from India to East and South Africa and back with the monsoons, their journey is approximately 14-18 thousand kilometers. In addition, the long journey of these insects makes them easy prey for migratory birds. Thus, if something happens to this species, it will be very difficult for the birds to survive long flights without constant food.
Fastest winged insect: southern giant yoke
This species of dragonfly is capable of speeds of up to 35 miles per hour, making it the fastest-winged insect in the world. Some believe that other insects can fly up to 60 miles per hour. Scientists do not agree with this statement, however, many consider the issue of flight speed to be very controversial. Opinions were divided between dragonflies, butterflies and horseflies. There are many unsubstantiated rumors about the speed of each of these species.
The most frightening insect: locusta migratoria
The Locusta migratoria or migratory locust is perhaps the most terrifying insect known to man. Despite the fact that mosquitoes are to blame for many human deaths, it was locusts that always made people scream in horror. Locust swarms are rare these days, but they are still found in some parts of the world: this was the case in Madagascar last year, or, for example, the locust attack in 2004, which affected several countries in West and North Africa and resulted in losses of 2.5 billion dollars.
The most tenacious insect: the German cockroach
I think few people will be surprised by the title of this item. In the sense that everyone has heard something like: after a nuclear war, only cockroaches will survive. And yet there is a rather curious case: the larva of the German cockroach (Blattaria germanica) managed to survive in a very unfavorable environment for her - in the colon of a 52-year-old woman. Apparently, she got there with food and somehow managed not to suffer from the digestive enzymes of the stomach.
The rarest insect: piercing insect from Lord Howe Island
This rather large insect of the piercing family lives on Lord Howe Island between Australia and New Zealand. This species is also an example of what biologists call the Lazarus effect, which is when a species is considered extinct and then found again. The number of Dryococelus australis today is no more than 50 individuals, at the time of their rediscovery there were only 24.
The insect is endangered, however, there is hope for the restoration of the species. The Melbourne Zoo in Australia is trying to breed 9,000 individuals under a special program.
Loudest insect: rower
The rower (Micronecta scholtzi) is a species of cicada and for its size is the loudest on earth. The cicada family is generally known for its sound, some species can sing with a power of 120 dB. The rower, having a length of only 2 mm, is capable of creating a noise of 99.2 dB. It's like sitting in the front row in front of an orchestra, or the sound of a jackhammer 50 feet away.
The largest colony of insects: Argentine ants
Argentine ants (Linepithema humile) have the largest insect colony in the world, they can even compete in numbers with humanity. Scientists have found that insects of this species that live in America, Europe and Japan belong to the same colonies, because they refuse to fight with each other.
Moreover, a series of experiments showed that these supercolonies could practically be one huge colony of ants, since the participants in the experiments did not show hostility towards each other and recognized “their” smell, despite the distance of thousands of miles. In addition, this incredible phenomenon seems to have been created by people who accidentally transported ants from South America to other continents.