So I just ran into an unknown demon bug. [edit: demon identified] My friend found a wiggity whack bug in his car in north Texas. I imagine it was quite the experience to have this thing jumping around in your car. I'm just really curious what the heck it is. Cute little guy, eh? EDIT: Well I just found out, there goes the need for this thread. Here's someone else's photo of one: In case you still want to guess WTH it is: Spoiler http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dobsonfly Anyone else wanna share stories of amazingly weird bugs they've come across in Texas?
Sounds lovely. I grew up in Texas for 20 years and never came across one of those. That thing probably eats fire.
You're right. My source was wrong. Anyway I'm still wondering why I'm just discovering this evil beast.
Found one of those once in concan when I was floating the frio river. Had to look it up to. If I were driving and I saw it there would be trouble haha
Apparently the males can't bite you because their pincers are 'too big to break skin'. Not that this gives me comfort if it's buzzing around in my car. Apparently rivers are full of their larvae. People use it for fishing. You learn something every day!
the females bite and according to your link... "...anal spray as a last-ditch defense." anal spray sounds pretty effed up. kill it with fire indeed.
Dude thanks for posting that thing is sick. I say we keep this thread alive, any other weird insects that most people havent seen or heard of? I mean the female can draw blood with a bite, are there any other insects that actually bite and can tear the skin?
I imagine most of clutchfans live in developed areas where most of this stuff no longer resides. About 10 years ago I found another weird bug when I was working in my garden in Houston: a mole cricket. They look like a giant almost furry kind of cricket. They burrow and live underground so you don't see them in daylight much. At the time my friends didn't know what it was, but I think most people know now, seems like they're more common. Eventually they were also all over the outdoor tennis / basketball courts when I played at night time. I live in AZ now, and even though the desert has its own awful things, you don't come across a fraction of the spiders, snakes, mosquitoes, wasps, beetles, rodents, and birds that you have in humid Texas. Pretty much just scorpions and rattlers. Houston can have those dang water moccasins!
I remember when I was young in China we'd catch bugs like this: They bite (not sure) but if you use your fingers to pinch them on the back they can't do a thing. They fly but their reaction is really slow so it's actually easy to catch them when you get the hang of it. Ah miss the childhood days.
OMG that thing is HUGE!!!! I would flip the **** out if I ever saw that let alone in the back of my car.
