Aaahhhhhhh Belostomatidae!!! Also known as a Giant Water Bug, this is a family of very large (in size) aquatic hemipterans (true bugs). They are also predatory and are sometimes called “toe-biters.” They eat other aquatic insects, but also amphibians, fish, and some birds. And, yes, that’s right, they fly.
I have not been so blessed to meet a living one, but I did encounter them in a somewhat unexpected place:
They are good eatings, if you’re into that sort of thing! And look at how EXPENSIVE!
November 20, 2018
These guys aren’t technically dangerous, but have (supposedly, I have not personally tested this) the most painful bite of any North American insect, thanks to the digestive acid they can inject. It won’t cause you any harm, but it’s gonna hurt like heck if one gets you. They usually live in slow-moving, murky water with a lot of plants, which isn’t great to wade in anyway because there’s leeches, and they aren’t aggressive. They’ll just bite you if you step on one or put your toe right in front of a big one. Hence the name!
Also, they fly, and they’re attracted to lights. They can wind up pretty far away from water as adults.
If you have a very tight-fitting lid and the patience to wiggle their food in front of them on tweezers every couple of days, they make good pets! Just… in their own tanks. I had some for a little while, and can confirm that not even heavily-armored diving beetles are safe. And I just had a couple of babies!
Also, they are guaranteed to impress just about anyone you show them to. Who doesn’t run away first.
‘Krakatoa, a 75-pound, 7.5-foot long Komodo Dragon, celebrates his eighth birthday with fellow eight-year-olds from R.B. Hunt Elementary School at his enclosure at the St. Augustine Alligator Farm and Zoological Park in St. Augustine, Fla. The children sang Happy Birthday to the large lizard as he was presented with a meat cake topped with mice.’
with other eight year olds
I’ve reblogged this picture before, and it never hit me up until this…
But someone walked into work that morning, clocked in, and was told it was their job to go put the birthday hat on the Komodo Dragon.
Oh, they woulda been giddy about it I promise you. Komodo dragons and salt water crocodiles are the two top contenders for smartest reptiles on Earth, and while the salt water croc’s intelligence revolves primarily around stalking tactics and hunting, Komodo dragons actually have a social intelligence akin to dogs that doesn’t seem to shine through so well in the wild but hoo boy, in captivity.
Many Komodo dragons like to play with things like squeak toys, and grabbing things out of the hands or pockets of their keepers to play tug-a-war. They recognize different humans and different outfits, and form a bond with their keepers. And since they’re not eating festering meat, their bites would lack the infectious lethality of those in the wild if they DID decide to bite for some reason. The worst that’s come from captive-born Komodos that I’m aware of was a curious nip at a reporter one didn’t recognize.
The festering-meat-bacteria-bite thing was actually dismissed as a myth. Like other monitor species they actually do have a venomous bite. Their native home is full of swamps and stagnant water so when their prey (deer or water buffalo) would run away after getting bitten they’d go hide in water just buzzing with infectious organisms. Their natural venom acts as a blood-thinner, causing the wounds they inflict to bleed out and send the prey into shock.
Komodo Dragons are really smart though, I’ve seen the one at my local zoo play tug-of-war with a towel the zookeeper specifically used for that.
I met a tegu! I was at a ComicCon, and there were some people there who had a trailer/minizoo with a bunch of reptiles. This guy was big and chill, so I got pics with him.
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