Top largest insects. The largest insects in the world

The heaviest insect

There is an insect that is rather sonorously called the goliath beetle. He is the bearer of both the title of the heaviest beetle on the planet, and the title of the heaviest insect. The beetle got its self-explanatory name, most likely, just for its size. The length is measured from the end of the small horns to the very edge of the abdomen, and in males it is eleven centimeters with a width of six centimeters, and the length of females varies from five to eight centimeters. The weight of an adult is about one hundred grams. It is not easy to hold such a giant in your hands, it is very strong.

These insects are "close relatives" of May beetles, their habitat is Upper Guinea. Most often goliaths are black, white color they have heads, as well as other parts of the body. Females and males differ not only in size. So, the male has a branched horn on his head, which the female does not have. Her head is in the form of a shield, which helps her to dig the earth to build a cradle for her eggs.

In giant beetles, the larvae are also huge. They can develop up to fifteen centimeters in length with a mass of about one hundred and ten grams. The larvae feed on humus and younger brothers. Adults eat leaves of palm tops, overripe fruit, tree sap.

People learned about the existence of goliath beetles at the end of the eighteenth century. For most collectors, such a beetle is a dream come true.

The heaviest butterflies

Among the butterflies, Boisduval woodworms are considered the heaviest. Their family includes almost eight hundred species. These record-breaking butterflies - gray color. Woodworms live in Australia and are clumsy. Their body is extremely thick. The wingspan varies from nine to twenty-five centimeters.

The largest individuals can weigh thirty grams. It is known that each female lays about twenty thousand small eggs. Later, small caterpillars descend along the cobwebs to the roots of plants, where they feed, continuing to develop.

giant mantis

Praying mantises, like some other insects, have greatly increased in size under the influence of radiation. At the same time, giant insects practically do not differ from their counterparts. standard size. It's about the giant Asian praying mantis. Its habitat is the tropics of the South East Asia. They can be seen in India, Sri Lanka, Nepal and Thailand. These diurnal insects live in the foliage of shrubs and trees.

The length of an adult is from eight to nine centimeters, and the females are always larger. Throughout life, the color changes and can be almost white, and red-brown, and even black. The Asian giant praying mantis is very aggressive. Throughout life in captivity, the insect should be kept separately. The female reaches maturity after seven molts. Three weeks after the last, an edema is deposited by it, from which sixty to eighty nymphs appear in a month.

The world's largest grasshopper Ueta

Grasshoppers are mostly predators, but almost all of them small size. Among them, the grasshopper Ueta is recognized as a giant. Usually the length of an individual is from eight and a half to nine centimeters with a weight of about seventy grams. But this weight is more than the weight of a standard sparrow. Weta are among the heaviest insects. Their habitat is New Zealand. Weta have no wings, they protect themselves from predators with spiked limbs.

Giant grasshoppers ended up in New Zealand before it became an isolated archipelago. Since Uet had no main enemies, they took the place of small mammals. Huge grasshoppers feed on lichens, fruits, leaves and flowers and are nocturnal.

But the largest ant in the world grows up to 2.5 cm ...
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1 Lumberjack - Titanium(lat. Titanus giganteus).
Inhabited: French Guiana and Brazil.

No one has ever seen the larvae of these beetles, but it is believed that they feed and grow inside trees. Several years must pass before they pupate.

2. Beetle - elephant(lat. Megasoma elephas).
Live: From Mexico to Venezuela.

The life span of an adult elephant beetle is approximately one to three months.

3. Giant long-legged grasshoppers(lat. Macrolyristes corporalis).
Lives in: Malaysia.

The giant long-legged grasshopper is considered the largest insect on the planet.

4. Beetle - goliath(lat. Goliathus giganteus).
Lives: Ghana, Ivory Coast.

The food of goliath beetles consists mainly of tree sap and fruits.

5. Cockroach - rhinoceros(lat. Macropanesthia rhinoceros).
Lives in: Australia.

The rhinoceros cockroach is the largest cockroach in the world.

6. Phalanx.(lat. Galeodes).
Habitat: Deserts of the Middle East.

Interestingly, when attacking, it frightens the enemy with a loud sound obtained by contact and friction of the chelicerae against each other.

7 Chan's Mega Stick(lat. Phobaeticus chani).

To date, Chan's megastick is considered. It was discovered by locals in the forests of Kalimantan in 1989.

8. Giant ueta.(lat Deinacrida)
Lives: New Zealand.

Giant Wets are one of the heaviest insects in the world. Some specimens are not inferior in weight to a sparrow.

9. Peacock-eye (Attacus atlas)
Lives in: Southeast Asia.

In India, the peacock eye is bred for silk production.

10. Road wasp.

The main food of the road wasp is tarantulas.

11. Giant water bugs..

In Thailand, giant water bugs are considered a delicacy and are bred and harvested using black light lanterns.

12. Birdwing of Queen Alexandra.(lat. Ornithoptera alexandrae)
Lives in: Papua New Guinea.

The Queen Alexandra birdwing is the largest butterfly in the world. The very first instance in history was mined with a shotgun.

13. Chinese praying mantis.(lat. Tenodera sinensis)

Chinese praying mantises were first brought to North America from China in 1895 as a source of pest control.

14. Birdeater - goliath.(lat. Theraphosa blondi).
Habitat: Rainforests South America.

Females of Theraphosa Blondy, or goliath tarantula, sometimes end their courtship by eating their partner.

15. Huge Asian Hornet.(lat. Vespa mandarinia japonica).
Lives in: Japan.

An angry person is able to pursue his offender at a distance of three miles. On average, they kill forty people a year. This is more than any other carnivorous animal in Japan.

On our planet there is the most a large number of a variety of insects, small large and even huge. They live in different regions of our planet. Meeting them in nature, sometimes you can be surprised by their impressive size. Our list today includes the most large insects in the world.

stag beetle

Our list is headed by a giant stag beetle, the length of its body, including the "horns", reaches 70-91 mm.

This beetle lives in the oak forests of Europe, North Africa and Asia. This species of beetles is listed in the Red Book.

goliath beetle

The goliath beetle lives in the center and southeast of Africa. The body length of the beetle is from 50 to 110 mm, and everything reaches 100 grams.

Its unusual coloration makes it not only one of the most beautiful beetles, but also gives good protection from predators. Also, its distinguishing feature is that in order to take off, it needs to increase its body temperature. To do this, in more shaded areas of the terrain, the beetle is mostly black in color, and in those areas where the sun predominates, the color is varied in color.

giant water bug

The water bug mainly lives in the tropics. Its body length is about 120 mm.

These beetles are predators, the bite of a bug is very painful for a person because of its poisonous saliva, which is released when bitten from the proboscis, paralyzing the prey. After such a bite, the victim is paralyzed, the insides of the victim decompose, after which the bug sucks out its prey.

Rhino cockroach

The rhinoceros cockroach or burrowing cockroach reaches 90-100 mm in length, and this cockroach lives in Australia, where it is rightfully considered the heaviest insect.

The weight of this heavyweight is about 35 grams. In addition to its large weight, the rhinoceros cockroach is famous for its longevity, it can live up to 10 years. For food, he needs eucalyptus leaves, and he lives in a hole with a depth that reaches a meter.

Grasshopper Veta

The Weta grasshopper is found in New Zealand, the body length is about 90 mm, and all 85 grams. The female grasshopper lays up to 300 eggs.

Chinese praying mantis

The length of this praying mantis is 150 mm, it lives only in China.

This insect is a predator, mainly prefers to hunt pests such as flies, locusts, crickets at night, which earned the love of farmers, and sometimes even can eat a small kite. Females are much larger than partners, after mating season males are eaten. In China, these cute insects are kept as pets.

tree lobster

The tree lobster or giant stick insect is a small specimen and lives on islands near Australia.

This giant stick insect is able to move very quickly. Reproduction of the stick insect can occur without the participation of the male, while the female lays eggs, after which she creates her own clone.

Chan's Mega Stick

This stick insect, unlike the previous one, is distinguished by its unusual body length, which reaches up to 56 cm.

Habitat is the island of Kalimant. It looks more like a dry branch, which makes it a master of disguise.

lumberjack titan

The lumberjack titan is the largest beetle in the world. This beetle reaches 22 cm in length and is a strong man who can bite through a branch with a diameter of 1 cm.

One of its unusual properties is that this strong man does not need food, since he received enough food while still a larva. The larvae of these beetles can reach 35 centimeters. The beetle itself lives for a month and a half.

Peacock-eye Atlas

Atlas is one of the largest butterflies on our planet, with a wingspan of up to 25 centimeters.

Atlas lives in the rainforests of China, India and Thailand. The life cycle is 10 days.
This type of butterfly does not have a mouth, so it lives off the food that it received as a caterpillar.

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 incredible bugs 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 through the skies from the Carboniferous to the end of the Permian era (approximately 317 to 247 million years ago). Meganisoptera lived long before pterosaurs, birds, and bats, which means that she had no equal in the sky.

24. Giant ueta


Photo: Dinobass

The giant ueta (weta) is a very large species of insect that lives mainly in New Zealand. An adult beetle can weigh 35 grams. Ueta prefers to hide in fallen leaves and bark of fallen trees, and rests mainly during the day. At night, the heavyweight leaves its shelter to move into other trees in search of food and more comfortable housing. Despite its impressive size, the giant ueta only lives for 6-9 months.

23. Lumberjack Titan


Photo: Bernard Dupont

Endemic to the rainforests of 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 hallmark of this giant insect are impressive claws, with which it can easily grab a pencil, for example. There are rumors that the Titan woodcutter can even tear through human flesh with his tongs. The most interesting thing is that entomologists have not yet been able to detect its larvae, and so far naturalists can only assume that the beetle spends the beginning of its life inside trees.

22. Australian walking cane


Photo: Rosa Pineda

The Australian cane (Extatosoma tiaratum) is a huge herbivore that lives in 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, they reach up to 20 centimeters in length and are covered with prickly spines. In turn, males also have something to brag about - they have as many as 3 eyes, and they can fly, unlike females, which have only the rudiments of wings.

21. Moth atlas


Photo: Quartl

This giant moth lives in tropical and subtropical forests. South-East Asia, and is considered one of the largest species of Lepidoptera insects on the planet. The tropical moth has a wingspan of 25 centimeters, and the surface area of ​​​​the wings of the atlas is 400 square centimeters, which is more than any other insect in the world. At the same time, her life expectancy is only 5-7 days. This short-lived beauty, people have found quite a practical application - in India, a giant moth is bred for the production of 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 a burrowing cockroach is quite impressive - scientists have found individuals whose age reached as much as 10 years. You may 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 as much as 13 centimeters in length. Impressive in size, these creatures live only 1-3 months, prefer night time, feed on tree sap and tropical fruits.

18. Phobaeticus chani


Photo: P.E. Bragg

Phobaeticus chani is one of the longest insect species in the world. Its more common name is Chan's stick insect, which this insect received in honor of its explorer Datuk Chen Zhaolun (Datuk Chen Zhaolun). A giant stick insect was discovered not so long ago in a tropical forest in Borneo (Borneo), where a Chinese naturalist happened to examine an individual of incredible length - 57 centimeters! A variety of the beetle Phobaeticus chani is still not fully understood, since the insect lives on the most tall trees rainforest, which makes it too secretive for observation and research.

17. Queen Alexandra's Birdwing


Photo: Robert Nash

It is amazing beautiful creation was found in the rainforests of the province of Oro (Oro) in the east of Papua New Guinea. Another name for this bird wing is also known - Queen Alexandra's 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 it lives mainly in freshwater reservoirs, lakes, streams and rivers of North and South America, Northern Australia and East Asia. Water bugs are fierce predators, and cases of attacks of these bugs are known not only on fish and frogs, but also on small snakes and even turtles. Killer beetle? It sounds scary, but there is another no less predatory insect ahead of you. Be patient until the 11th point 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. Atlas is widely distributed in Southeast Asia, especially in Malaysia. Atlas males can reach as much as 13 centimeters in length.

14. Saint Helena earwig


Photo: wikimedia

In front of you is the giant earwig Labidura herculeana, the largest member of the leathery-winged order, which is sometimes called the “Dodo of the earwig world” (Dodo is a giant bird, died out in the 17th century AD) or the St. Helena earwig. History knows about the 8-cm Labidura herculeana, but the last time a living adult of this earwig was seen was already in May 1967, and in 2014 scientists regretfully announced that the Dodo of the world of earwigs had finally died out.

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. It is believed that these beetles are the heaviest of all insects on Earth. Their larvae weigh up to 100 grams, and adults reach up to 12 centimeters in length.

12. Mustaches or lumberjacks


Photo: Hectonichus

The long-horned beetle in the photo is giant view beetles, easily recognizable 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 huge size (more than 17 centimeters in length), this species of insect can even fly.

11. Bird-eating hawk


Photo: wikimedia

The tarantula hawk is a large road wasp or pompilid that preys on tarantulas. The females of this species of insect paralyze the spider with a prick of their sting. On a successful hunt, these seemingly modest creatures are able to overcome a tarantula, which is most often 8 times heavier than a road wasp. This difference in weight does not prevent dragging the slain spider into the hole, where the female lays her larvae directly on the body of the prey. When new tarantula hawks are born, they initially feed on tarantulas stored in the hole.

10 Giant Wasp


Photo: Didier Descouens

9. Gauromydas heroes


Photo: Biologoandre

Gauromydas heroes are the most big flies in the world. In length, this species of dipterous 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 understood the species' lifestyle, 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 member of its infraorder. This insect got into our list due to the fact that its uterus during the laying period reaches approximately 11 centimeters in length. The size of other members of the colony is much more modest - termite workers grow up to 3-4 centimeters, and soldiers are not much larger. Macrotermes Bellicosus live by hunting and gathering, and the peak of activity of this species of termites is observed during the rainy season.

7. Hercules beetle


Photo: Anaxibia

The Hercules beetle (Dynastes hercules) is one of the largest beetles in the world, and it lives mainly 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 the length of the monohorn.

6. Thysania agrippina


Photo: Acrocynus

Thysania agrippina is a nocturnal moth, more commonly known by other names, including agrippa cutworm, agrippina cutworm, agrippina's thysania, agrippa, night moth, and even ghost moth. Agrippina scoop is one of the largest flying insects, and its wingspan reaches almost 30 centimeters. The largest nightlife lives in Mexico, Central America and South America, and also sometimes found in Texas (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 recognizable due to its huge size(about 12 centimeters long) and imposing mandibles (lower jaws) resembling tusks or horns. In appearance, the beetle looks very intimidating, but in fact it feeds on tree sap, and uses its lower jaws only in mating games or during fights with its own relatives. For humans, this insect is usually completely harmless.

4. Giant winged dragonfly

Photo: Steven G. Johnson

The largest dragonfly living on our planet, the giant winged 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 a dangerous predator. True, Megaloprepus Caerulatus poses the greatest threat only to spiders, which the equalwing catches directly from their cozy nets. The giant dragonfly lives in the tropical forests of Central and South America, and the largest wingspan of these insects is as much as 19 centimeters!

3. Mantis


Photo: Oliver Koemmerling

This insect is almost at the top of its food chain and feeds mainly on other members of its native class, although there is evidence that praying 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 Man Zhao


Photo: Joachim Bresseel, Jerome Constant

In 2014, in the southern province of Guangxi (Guangxi) was discovered the new kind insect. They became the stick insect Zhao (Phryganistria Chinensis Zhao), whose dimensions reached as much as 62.4 centimeters. The giant was discovered by the Chinese entomologist Zhao Li, and today it is the longest insect in the world. The stick insect was named after a Chinese explorer who hunted this incredible fastmatid for 6 years until he finally managed to catch one of these long-legged beauties.

1. Mosquito centipedes of the species Holorusia Brobdignagius


Photo: wikimedia

Long-legged mosquitoes or caramora are insects of the Diptera family of the long-legged suborder. Their favorite habitat is forests near fresh water bodies and swamps. Adults feed on plant nectar, while larvae feed on decaying plants. The largest of the caramors, holorusia brobdignagius grows up to 23 centimeters in length if the limbs are extended behind and in front of its body. This value allows us to consider this Chinese centipede the longest of its kind.

There are no more mysterious creatures on the planet than insects. Their appearance is striking and evokes thoughts of extraterrestrial origin. In our today's Top 10 are collected.

Such a company can scare someone, someone will cause a lot of curiosity. But definitely no one will remain indifferent when they see a twenty-centimeter beetle. By the way, according to many scientists, the discovery of species previously unknown to science is most likely among insects. So it is quite possible that our current top ten will be replenished with new members in the very near future.

Body length - 10 cm excluding legs, weight reaches 70 grams. These wingless insects live in New Zealand. Weta are considered one of the heaviest insects in the world. A weight record of 71 grams was recorded when weighing a pregnant female ueta.

9. Giant stag beetle (Lucanus elaphus).

Reaches a length of 30-40 mm without mandibles or 45-60 mm including mandibles. These large beetles of the genus Lucanus of the stag family live in North America. European relatives of American stags are slightly smaller and are called Lucanus cervus.

8 Goliath Beetles (Goliathus)

Body length in males is 80 - 110 mm, in females - 50-80 mm, weight - about 47 grams. According to some eyewitnesses, there are individuals weighing about 100 grams. Goliaths live in Central and Southeast Africa. The large size combined with the contrasting black and white color make this beetle one of the most beautiful insects in the world.

7. Giant stick insect (Dryococelus australis)

Reaches a length of 12 cm with a thickness of 1.5 cm, lives on the Australian island of Lord Howe. This insect, resembling a dry grass stalk, is one of the rarest on Earth. Until 2001, the species was even considered extinct, however, scientists found colonies of 20-30 individuals on Lord Howe and neighboring islands.

6. Queen Alexandra Bird Wing

– the most big butterfly in the world. The wingspan of the female reaches 35 cm. This species lives in the territory papua new guinea. The survival of the offspring is ensured by in an unusual way- the caterpillars of this species are inedible for predators, as the butterflies feed on the poisonous pollen of the plant Aristolochia schlecteri.

5. Dung beetle (Geotrupidae)

- a family of large beetles, uniting more than 500 species. The body length of the dung beetle can be from 3 to 70 mm, the color can be black, brown, purple or yellowish.

4. Giant water bug (Belostomatidae)

It reaches a length of 15 cm. These large insects live in fresh water bodies of South America, East and Southeast Asia (India, Thailand).

3. Peacock Butterfly (Attacus atlas)

It has an impressive wingspan - up to 26 cm. A beautiful red-brown color in combination with white "eyes" looks very elegant and makes it.

2 Chan's Mega Stick (Phobaeticus chani)

– longest insect in the world. The length of the body, resembling a dry branch, can reach 37 cm, and taking into account the legs - 56 cm. These insects live on the island of Kalimantan and are simply champions of disguise - it is almost impossible to find a stick insect among the branches.

1 Titan Woodcutter (Titanus giganteus)

– the largest insect in the world. The body length of this beetle reaches 21 cm. The species is very rare, but lives in the vast territory of Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, Suriname, Guyana, Bolivia and Brazil.