Bugs serve multiple purposes on this planet. From pollinating plants to stinging and scaring the living daylights out of people, humans have a love/hate relationship with bugs. We need bugs to make the world go around, but at the same time, people would rather not deal with bugs especially if they bite, sting, or chase after you. It seems that the one common fear that mankind seems to share is the fear of some sort of bug, with spiders being the most common fear known as arachnophobia. The largest bugs in the world were known as the Protodonata, and they lived during the prehistoric period in the Paleozoic Era. They were large, dragon-fly like creatures who ruled the skies and plant life. They would be sure to put a scare in us all if we were to see them today.
As our existence continues to evolve and innovations in travel make it more possible to explore every nook and cranny in the world, more bugs have been found than ever before. In the early 20th century, the discovery of bugs such as the Queen Alexandra’s Birdwing incited fear and made people use guns to take it out of the sky. Turns out that this particular bug is the largest butterfly in the world with a wingspan of over one foot, enough to put a scare into anyone. There is a trend known as “island gigantism” where animals and bugs are found to be much larger on remote islands than one mass spaces of land like a continent. The giant weta is a perfect example of island gigantism, as it is the largest weta in the species and puts its relatives to shame.
A few years ago, a photo of a group of Marines from the United States in Afghanistan shocked the world and sent arachnophobes into high alerts when people saw the massively large camel spider. The story behind the photo was that the camel spider could disembowel camels, crawl into sleeping bags, and run at high speeds. Well, thankfully, the story was just rumor and speculation, and the camel spider wasn’t really as massively large as the photo made it look. But the story was enough to inspire people to do their own research on the largest bugs in the world, and the results do not disappoint. In fact, the results may just downright scare you into wanting to stay indoors for the rest of your life.
This video includes some of the largest bugs in the world. Some of them are so big that you have to wonder whether there was a chemical spill nearby to spawn these mutant-looking bugs. Whether you are enjoying this video from the Amazon, or in the comfort of your home in the suburbs, take caution next time you go outside. Luckily, just because a bug is large, it doesn’t mean that it’s dangerous or poisonous. Take heed, and maybe if you spot a giant weta, you can give it a carrot to enjoy.