In the diverse kingdom of animals, insects on the planet the most, and many of them lived long before the appearance of the first ancestors of man. Insects easily adapt to environmental conditions. That is why they are not completely sure that they have studied the entire diversity of the insect world, as well as the life cycle of some species. The object of our study today was the most unusual insects in the world. We will show their amazing photos, as well as present interesting facts about some of the species.
1
Brazhnik Butterfly - Hummingbird
Such an unusual name was given to the brazhnik butterfly due to its exotic appearance. Indeed, the insect looks like a hummingbird, and you can meet an amazing butterfly even in central Russia.
Of the entire family of hawks, this one least resembles a butterfly, especially in flight. Like the Latin American bird, this butterfly eats nectar.
She flutters easily over the flowers, taking out her favorite treat with a long proboscis. Moths, mostly nocturnal moths, but this unusual species leads a daytime lifestyle.
2
Bison buffalo
This unique insect, which is also called the buffalo humpback, can not be immediately noticed, as its body resembles a small leaf more.
The bison buffalo comes from North America, but eventually spread throughout the world, and now it can be met in the south of Europe, in Asia and in the north of the African continent.
The grasshopper has a bright green color, grows up to 6-9 mm and moves with the help of transparent wings.
3
Eye Hog
This species of butterflies is listed in the Red Book, although their habitat is quite extensive, and they can be found in different parts of the world.
A green caterpillar with a horn in the back of the body grows to 7 cm, and a white stripe runs throughout the body. The horn is not for beauty, but for protection.
A huge caterpillar with the help of this spike is protected from ants and other annoying insects. In addition, the spike has poison, but is completely harmless to humans.
By the way, there is an interesting article about the biggest tracks in the world on TheBiggest.ru.
4
Panda ant
These velvet ants live only in South America, and because of their coloring from white and black stripes they got the name Panda ant.
Adults grow up to 8 mm, and belong to small ants. Females are slightly larger than males. Like brothers, they live in large colonies, and each has its own functions and responsibilities.
Such unusual ants feed on nectar. The world learned of their existence in 1938, when the American Clarence Eugene Miquel first described these ants.
You can also read and admire the largest species of ants on the planet by visiting the page of our site.
5
Harpy Caterpillar
One of the most unusual and beautiful caterpillars on the planet grows up to 8 cm in length, and has a fork-like outgrowth at the end of the body.
The caterpillar itself is green, but on the back has a diamond-shaped purple spot, edged with a white stripe. At the moment of danger, the caterpillar inflates, raises the front segments of the body, and draws its head into the first section of its abdomen.
Having met such a creature, it is necessary to be careful, so the caterpillar can eject, if not poisonous, but caustic liquid.
6
Peacock Eye Caterpillar Atlas
The largest and most beautiful butterfly and the largest caterpillar in the world also has an unusual appearance.
In the last stage of development, the caterpillar has a greenish color with fluffy processes of a bluish tint. It feeds alone on the leaves of trees and shrubs.
You can meet these beauties in Southeast Asia, and grow up to 10 cm during the development period.
7
Moths
In this butterfly, the caterpillar moves in an unusual way, which is why it was named the surveyor.
The surveyor has pairs of legs only on the extreme segments of the body, which is why it moves by pulling the front of the body to the front.
Their body is not covered with hairs, and the color depends on the environment, so often they can be confused with a small twig. The very moth of the moth of a dim color also does not attract special attention from natural enemies.
8
Yoke
No, no, this is not a girl trying to please, but rather exotic and original shaggy caterpillar, more reminiscent of a small animal. Some even call this species - the caterpillar Donald trump, for the outward resemblance to the hairstyle of the 45th American president.
But it must be remembered that behind the external attractiveness in the spines of this larva is toxic poison, which can be harmful to health.
So, accidental and short-term contact with the caterpillar of the Moth-coquette can cause burns and rashes, as well as lead to general malaise.
Yes, and do not forget to see our article on other no less dangerous insects of the world!
9
Snake caterpillar
Perhaps, among all the caterpillars, this species is the leader of camouflage. At the moment of danger, the caterpillar inflates the front of the body in such a way that it becomes like the head of a snake, so you won’t understand whether it is an insect or a dangerous reptile.
The caterpillar defending itself in such an original way is a stage of development of the moth Hemeroplanes triptolemus, and you can meet them in the tropical rainforests of Latin America.
Such masters of reincarnation spend most of the time on trees, clinging to branches with their tail.
10
Swallowtail
The beautiful day butterfly of the sailing family has a very unusual caterpillar, which can rightly be attributed to the most beautiful and original.
The caterpillar of Machaon in the first stage of development has a black color with red spots, and then, as it grows, it is covered with alternating white and black stripes on a green abdomen.
On each strip there are asymmetric orange spots that add special charm to the insect.
11
Tobacco Hogwash
Whoever read the work “Alice in Wonderland” probably remembers a character like a caterpillar smoking a hookah. But it turns out that in nature there is such an extraordinary insect.
Scientists, exploring the caterpillars of tobacco hawthorn, found in them a gene that can secrete nicotine through the respiratory openings. In such a simple way, the caterpillar fights off enemies with the help of nicotine.
It turns out, eating tobacco leaves, the animal learned to use its properties for its protection and safety.
12
Camel spider
So we found out what the caterpillars are, and now plunge into the world of other insects and spiders, and imagine a sapulga, which because of its appearance is called a camel spider.
This species of arachnids, although scientists are still puzzling to which class it belongs, is found in North Africa, and on Wikipedia and reference books you can find the name Egyptian camel spider. It grows up to 15 cm, and has 5 pairs of legs covered with hairs.
They reach speeds of up to 17 km / h, which makes them champions among arachnids. Despite the formidable appearance and the presence of poison, this species is completely safe for humans.
But about the real speed record among insects, read the article on our TheBiggest.ru website by clicking on the link.
13
Lumberjack titanium
The Latin name for this insect is Titanus giganteus, today it is the largest bug in the world. Adults can grow up to 22 cm.
Naturally, the beetle is striking in its enormous size, because it barely fits in the palm of a person. Such a miracle of nature leads women into indescribable horror, although the insect from the winged-wing detachment is completely harmless.
It lives in the forests of the Amazon and is mainly nocturnal. You can meet him in other parts of the world only at the expositions of natural museums.
You can see photos and descriptions of other very large insects on the planet here!
14
Woody corrosive
Among the variety of insects, many of them have funny names. For example, the nocturnal moths are corrosive, which got its name due to the fact that it causes great harm to orchards.
These butterflies live throughout Europe, in Africa and in North America, where it was accidentally introduced. The caterpillar is pinkish in color, and develops in the trunks of trees.
The butterfly itself grows to 30 mm, and the wingspan reaches from 50 to 70 mm.
15
Elephants are sheet
These beetles of the family of weevils have no less ridiculous and original names, but they got it because of a long proboscis.
The elephant with the help of the head tube extracts its livelihood, and the mouth opening at the end of such a proboscis resembles a drilling apparatus. The leaves of trees and shrubs eat, and sometimes can cause great harm to forest plantations.
About 70 thousand weevils live on the planet, but elephants from all their brethren have the most original appearance and body shape.
16
Fly cicada
Naturally, in most of the inhabitants of the earth, cicadas are associated with loud and beautiful chirping. But here, besides this, they are also dangerous pests.
Huge hordes of cicadas can destroy a significant part of the crop, so their appearance in the regions is alarming for farmers. But nevertheless, they got to our list because of the unusual ability to publish original singing.
Cicadas live all over the globe, and in total there are more than 1.5 thousand species of these amazing insects in the world.
17
Praying Mantis "Devil's Flower"
One of the largest species of mantis, due to its appearance, received the beautiful name "Devil's Flower".
In length, these mantises grow up to 13 cm. They easily adapt to the natural environment, acquiring a variety of colors.
These beauties live in Southeast Asia, and body colors range from ordinary green to pink and pure white. This ability has led them to hide among orchids. They prefer orchids as a habitat and hunt.
18
Humpback Brazilian
A distant relative of cicadas, the Brazilian humpback, despite its name, lives on the entire planet except Antarctica.
Unusual outgrowths on the head, which acquire a variety of bizarre forms, introduce them to the list of unique insects. Spherical growths resemble space antennas, and at the first glance at an insect, there is a sensation of the alien origin of this type of humpback.
Another feature is that they are very tiny in size, and live on the tops of tall trees.
19
Scorpion fly
Looking at this insect, you will not immediately determine that it is just a fly. So its appearance and forms are more reminiscent of a creature obtained from the crossing of a wasp and a scorpion.
These original, and a little scary flies live in shady places near reservoirs. There are antennas on the head with which scorpion women find food. The same organs help the males find the female during the mating season.
Today, there are about 769 species, of which 389 are minerals. Some species eat plant foods, but there are scorpions and scavengers among them.
20
Suriname lantern
The extraordinary butterfly that lives among the forests of Mexico and Latin America is also called the crocodile butterfly.
The elongated head resembles the head of a lizard in outlines, which is why this forest beauty was called so original. This is a fairly large species, the wingspan of which reaches from 10 to 15 cm.
It feeds on the juice of some plants, and the unusual shape of the head and coloring are designed to scare away natural enemies.
Summarize
As you can see, the beautiful and amazing insects of the world truly amaze with their appearance, and some with unusual abilities. Human nature is so arranged that many representatives of the insect world cause fear in us. But, despite the formidable and unusual appearance, many of them are harmless and harmless to humans. And only a few are very annoying, such as mosquitoes and flies.
Article author: Valery Skiba