Buzz
1. Tongue-Eating Louse
Cymothoa exigua, also known as the Tongue-Eating Louse, is a crustacean in the family Cymothoidae. It is a parasitic species that enters the fish's gills, attaches to the base of the tongue, and then effectively becomes the fish's tongue, which the fish can still use for feeding in exchange for the louse feeding on its blood and mucus. This species does not otherwise harm the fish. It is the only known case of a parasite that can replace and function as a biological organ in the host.
This parasitic species infiltrates fish through the gills, then firmly attaches to the base of the fish's tongue, gradually feeding on blood, corroding, and positioning itself as the fish's tongue. Another little-known fact is that the Tongue-Eating Louse starts as a male but later, upon reaching adulthood, it spontaneously changes sex to female. However, the mechanism that allows this species to undergo such self-sex-change remains a puzzle for researchers.
2. Giant Water Bug
The Giant Water Bug primarily inhabits Western Asia, Australia, and the Americas. It is one of the largest bugs in the world, with a body length of up to 19cm. Particularly, its diet consists of small fish and amphibians. It even preys on snakes and turtles. Upon encountering prey, this species secretes an extremely potent digestive enzyme that liquefies the prey's internal organs, facilitating digestion. It is one of the most painful biting insects in the world.
Giant Water Bugs are voracious predators lurking, ambushing prey, and consuming fish, amphibians, as well as invertebrates and crustaceans underwater. The largest species also hunt and consume juvenile turtles and aquatic snakes. They often lie motionless at the water bottom, clinging to various objects, where they wait for prey to approach.
The water bug attacks by using its modified front legs to grasp prey, sometimes even using its two pairs of hind legs to tightly grip the prey. After catching the prey, the water bug injects a toxic saliva with digestive enzymes into the prey's body. Although their bites are extremely painful, they do not have a significant impact on the health of the bitten human. Sometimes, when encountering a larger animal, such as a human, they may play dead, and most species can emit a fluid from their anus.
3. Giraffe Weevil
The Giraffe Weevil is a species of beetle in the family Attelabidae. They primarily inhabit the island of Madagascar. Discovered in 2008, they can grow up to 25mm long. A distinctive feature of this species is its entirely black body with red wings. Its long neck-like structure, reminiscent of a giraffe's, aids them in battles and nest-building. The neck of the male beetle can be three times longer than that of the female.
With its elongated jointed neck, the creature in the image resembles an imaginary creation of surreal artists. But it's the Giraffe Weevil, an insect species in Madagascar. They are named so because they possess legs and a neck resembling those of a giraffe. However, these grain weevils do not use their long necks for foraging like giraffes but instead employ them in battles with other male beetles to vie for mates.
The long neck of the male beetle is often 2-3 times longer than that of the female. The elongated neck also greatly aids them in nest-building. Their bodies are covered in a distinctive bright red hue. Despite their quirky appearance, they pose no danger to humans.
4. Golden Tortoise Beetle
The Golden Tortoise Beetle is a species of beetle capable of morphing its shape depending on the environment by altering its internal circuitry. This insect species is incredibly tiny, ranging from 5-7mm. It also has the ability to change color and shape, transitioning from gold to red with black spots. These insects are widely distributed in North America.
Once these beetles are isolated from their natural habitat, they quickly lose their original color and turn muddy brown. This phenomenon is explained based on their outer shell structure; the golden tortoise beetle's exoskeleton is coated with a layer of fluid formed from dewdrops on leaves, giving us the illusion that this insect species is golden in color.
The larvae of these beetles have a dark-colored shell with many sharp spines. Their unique feature is the ability to shed their skin to increase their size. They create a protective shell from their own waste to defend themselves against natural predators. When disturbed, they flip open their shield to attack prey species.
5. Assassin Bug
The Assassin Bug employs a unique hunting technique: they often deliberately get themselves stuck in spider webs, pulling threads, pretending to be trapped prey. When the spider approaches, they inject a paralyzing toxin into the prey, then turn the spider into a liquid for consumption. The venom also acts as a digestive fluid, turning the spider into a liquid, making it easier for the Assassin Bug to consume. After digesting the prey, they will use the prey's exoskeleton as a cloak, creating a type of armor that confuses and deceives enemies. This predatory insect species has a wide range of prey in nature and even attacks bats.
There are about 7,000 known species of Assassin Bugs worldwide, ranging in length from 4 to 40 mm and sharing a common weapon - a sharp, curved structure called a 'rostrum.' This is the weapon they use to pierce the prey - often other insect species, while also injecting their prey with a toxic saliva to liquefy their organs.
When the victim stops moving, the Assassin Bug will begin to dive in and suck the fluid from inside the prey's body until only the exoskeleton remains. Some Assassin Bug species use this exoskeleton as a camouflage 'armor.' Biologists have also observed this phenomenon firsthand, with them moving with a pile of insect corpses on their backs.
6. Southern Flannel Moth Caterpillar
The Southern Flannel Moth Caterpillar, also known as the puss caterpillar, asp caterpillar, or woolly slug, has distinctive forms as larvae and moths. The inch-long larvae are broadly covered in long, hair-like setae, a characteristic that perhaps earned it the nickname 'puss caterpillar.' It is distributed throughout the southern United States, Mexico, and parts of Central America. Contact with the caterpillar's hairs can cause skin irritation in humans. The caterpillar is considered venomous.
7. Speedy Tiger Beetle
The Speedy Tiger Beetle is renowned for its aggressive behavior and lightning-fast speed, reaching up to 9 km/h, which relative to its body length is equivalent to 770 km/h in humans. With its swift pace and large, robust jaws, its main diet consists of small insects and spiders. They primarily inhabit the Indo-Malayan region.
Tiger Beetles often exhibit metallic white or golden hues, with distinctive markings. Most species feature metallic, brown, or greenish colors. They have distinctive body shapes that make them easily recognizable. Tiger Beetles range in size from small to medium, typically measuring between 10 to 20 millimeters.
If you ever get the chance to get closer to them (though it's not easy), you'll notice their large, elongated compound eyes and slender legs. The large compound eyes of Tiger Beetles allow them to quickly detect prey or potential predators, even at an angle of 120 degrees, which is why they react so swiftly when someone approaches. If you observe closely, you'll also notice they can fly, covering distances of about 20 to 30 feet.
8. Flying Scorpion Beetle
The Flying Scorpion Beetle primarily inhabits Western Europe and feeds on dead insects, nectar, and rotten fruits. The appendage resembling a scorpion's tail is actually the male's reproductive organ. Females choose mates based on gifts presented by males, which could be an insect or a droplet of saliva. Despite their intimidating appearance, this species is harmless.
While many insects possess frightening appearances, several of them are harmless and prefer to avoid human confrontation. However, their intimidating looks may deter you from ever wanting to encounter them.
9. Hovering Scorpion Beetle
The Hovering Scorpion Beetle is a highly biologically diverse species. Subspecies are distinguished based on the spike on their backs, which serves as their defense weapon against predators. They primarily inhabit Florida, USA, Central America, and northern South America. Their bodies can reach a length of 10mm.
The Hovering Scorpion Beetle is a small parasitic insect, with a coloration similar to cockroaches but lighter. Their bodies are flat and small, with adults measuring only about 5 - 9mm. They bite humans or animals while they sleep to suck blood. After feeding, they turn into a dark red color and elongate their bodies like various other insects. Although they do not transmit diseases, they can impact the community's economy and health.
The thorax and neck armor develop into spikes with various unique shapes, making them appear bizarre; however, ultimately, this is an effective camouflage technique.
10. Desert Locust
When it comes to the destruction caused by the desert locust (Schistocerca gregaria), it's truly unmatched, even compared to the damages caused by termites to homes. For centuries, the desert locust has been a frequent and extremely serious threat to agriculture in Africa, the Middle East, and Asia. They often form massive swarms that migrate from one area to another, devouring almost every type of human crop from vegetables, flowers, and fruits to grains and cereals... On average, each feeding session of these voracious insects can consume a volume of vegetation equivalent to their body weight.
The desert locust has always been a menace to countries in Africa, the Middle East, and South Asia, but never has it arrived as early and as explosively as in 2020. According to reports from the region, the outbreak is unprecedented in scale. In India alone, five states including Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Punjab, Gujarat, and Maharashtra have witnessed locust swarms.
A distinctive feature of the desert locust outbreak is its migratory nature, spreading across vast geographical areas without being confined to a single national territory. Therefore, dealing with it must be on an international basis. The most effective measure at this time is to use insecticides to prevent the outbreak in areas where locusts have not yet matured or where swarms have not yet formed, while exchanging early warning information.
11. Harpaphe haydeniana
Harpaphe haydeniana, also known as the many-legged creature, is considered a chemist in the insect world. It produces Hydrocyanic acid to catch prey and to defend itself. It mainly resides in North America, from California to Columbia. This species can reach a length of up to 5cm.
It's one of the oldest decomposers. It's found in most regions around the world. While the millipede's venom isn't toxic to humans, it can cause allergic reactions. The Hydrochloric acid and Hydrocyanic acid it produces act as burning and suffocating agents to its predators. In large quantities, this toxin can also be harmful to humans. However, the amount of toxin emitted by the millipede is so small that it cannot cause poisoning in humans.
