18 Oktober 2010

Serangga terbesar di dunia.

Bugs tend to freak us out. Mosquitoes, spiders, wasps, centipedes... you name it. If it crawls, bites or buzzes (especially anywhere near our faces), then we squirm, swat and run. But what's worse than a little bug crawling on, or biting you? How about a really, really big one?

Here are some pictures of the biggest bugs on Earth. Enjoy!


Belostomatidae

Belostomatidae is a family of insects better known as "giant water bugs" or "toe-biters." Most species in the Belostomatidae family are relatively large (2 cm or more) with some of the largest, such as Lethocerus, exceeding 12 cm, and nearly reaching the dimensions (length and mass) of some of the larger beetles in the world.

All bugs in the Belostomatidae family are fierce predators which stalk, capture and feed on aquatic crustaceans, fish and amphibians. They often lie motionless at the bottom of a body of water, attached to various objects, where they wait for prey to come near. They then strike, injecting a powerful digestive saliva and suck out the liquefied remains. Yum!

Their bite is considered one of the most painful that can be inflicted by any insect. The saliva liquefies muscle tissue. In rare instances, their bite can do permanent damage to humans. So don't get drunk and pass out with your face near one of these guys.


Occasionally when encountered by a larger predator, such as a human, they have been known to "play dead" and emit a fluid from their anus to make them look less appetizing. Giant water bugs are a popular food in Thailand.



Atlas Moth
(Attacus Atlas)


Atlas moths are...

  • ...considered to be the largest moths in the world in terms of total wing surface area. Their wingspan is often up to a foot long.
  • ...are said to be named after either the Titan of Greek mythology, or their map-like wing patterns.
  • ...unsteady fliers and the female does not stray far from the location of her discarded chrysalis.
  • ...found in the tropical and subtropical forests of Southeast Asia.


Giant Camel Spider

When American soldiers aren't worrying about insurgents and IEDs, they have to keep an eye out for Giant Camel Spiders. Iraq's Giant Camel Spiders have even been found hiding in sleeping bags. Fortunately, the giant desert camel spiders native to Iraq aren't venomous. But they are FAST. Giant Camel Spiders have been known to run around 10 MPH. Although most Camel Spiders are about the size of a credit card, they have been know to grow larger than 10 inches, especially in the deserts of the Middle East.


The above photo was taken in the desert area outside of Baghdad. The 2 camel spiders were in a fight to the death. The spider on the bottom has his fangs locked on the torso of the spider above.

The image below is of a U.S. solider stationed outside of Kuwait. He was bitten by a Camel Spider in his sleep. The infected wound was so bad doctors couldn't stitch it up. They had to leave it open to drain and heal from the inside out. The bitten soldier now has a scar the size of a penny on his elbow.


Camel Spiders are common in the Middle East, but they can also be found in the southwest U.S. and Mexico. The Mexican's call Camel Spiders matevenados, which translates to"deer killers" in English.





Many stick insects are easy to care for, and believe it or not make good tropical pets.

Indian stick insects are all female and reproduce by themselves (parthenogenesis) and seem content living without mates or kin. Occasionally part-male part-female individuals are reared in captivity, but never true males.

The stick insects molt and may eat their own shed skin. By the 6th molt, the stick insect will lay eggs. Yum!




Queen Alexandra’s Birdwing
(Ornithoptera alexandrae)


Queen Alexandra's Birdwing (Ornithoptera alexandrae) is the largest butterfly in the world. The species was named by Lord Walter Rothschild in 1907, in honor of Queen Alexandra, wife of King Edward VII of the United Kingdom. Female Birdwings can reach a wingspan of about 14 inches, a body length of 3-4 inches and a body mass of up to 1/2 ounce. These are all enormous measurements for a butterfly and actually much more common for small birds.


Goliath Beetle

The Goliath beetles are among the heaviest insects on Earth. They are found in Africa. The heavily armored adults are so large that when flying, they produce a sound akin to a toy helicopter in flight. They are scavengers and eat rotting fruit, vegetables and animal feces off the jungle floor. Jungle poop. It's what's for dinner.




Giant Weta

Weta are extremely large by insect standards. They can weigh more than 70g, making them one of the heaviest documented insects in the known world. The Giant Weta can't even jump because it's so heavy. Giant Weta and are classified in the genus Deinacrida, which is Greek for terrible grasshopper. They are found primarily on small islands off the coast of the main islands, and are examples of island gigantism. Wetas like to hide under rocks or plant debris.




Giant Isopod

The Giant Isopod isn't technically an insect. Believe it or not, it falls under the Crustacean class along with crab, shrimp and lobster. That's right kids, it's aquatic. Like a giant sea roach.

Although rarely found on food menus in most of the world, it's not uncommon in some Eastern Asian countries to find seaside restaurants serving boiled Giant Isopods.

Even though the Giant Isopod is a deep sea dwelling creature, it might look strangely familiar to you. A close cousin of the Giant Isopod is the much smaller terrestrial Woodlouse (3-30 mm). But you might know the Woodlouse by one of its more common nicknames like pill bug or roly-poly. Woodlice are usually found in damp, dark places, rotting logs and typically eat decaying plant material.

Genetically, Woodlice and Giant Isopods have been unchanged for over 160 million years.

Afghanistan, 1983

What’s going now in Afghanistan is not for the first time.

27 years ago Russian army entered Afghanistan to help the Afghani president protect his power against the Islamic forces terrorizing the country.

Russian army stayed there 9 years and 1 months. It was opposed by troops lead by Usama Bin Laden who was that time officially sponsored by USA, in order to prevent a victory of USSR there and not allowing Soviet Union to establish there another regime supported by communists.

During these 9 years more than 14,000 Russian soldiers were killed, half thousand people were captured by the opposing Afghani forces. Practically all of them were forced to turn into Islam. And more than 50,000 Russian soldiers were wounded there and 10,000 of them continued their life as disabled as a result of the war.

But what can be most interesting is that just a few months after the Soviet troops left Afghanistan the radical Islamic movement took over the country again and was just becoming stronger and stronger until the USA troops came into a play. Now, when USA military presence is not high there it has been heard that only center of the country is being controlled by “democratically chosen president”, all the distant regions are again under the rule of radical Islamists. So probably there is no way on turning this country to Western system of good and bad.

On these photos you can see Russian soldiers together with Afghani ones, and some scenes from everyday life in 1983.

russian soldiers in afghanistan



russian soldiers in afghanistan

russian soldiers in afghanistan


russian soldiers in afghanistan

russian soldiers in afghanistan

russian soldiers in afghanistan

russian soldiers in afghanistan

russian soldiers in afghanistan

russian soldiers in afghanistan

Special uniform hats were used in Afghanistan for Soviet soldiers.

russian soldiers in afghanistan

Photos are from Alexandr Prokopchuk, they were made by his father Nikolai who was shot dead in Januar, 1984 in Afghanistan, half year later after he made these photos.

Japanese Concept Cars of the Last 50 Years

Here is a selection of concept cars designed by Japanese automakers from 1957-2009.

Toyota Proto, 1957


Toyota Proto, 1957



Toyota Publica Sports, 1962


Nissan Prince Sprint 1900 Prototype, 1963


Toyota Concept, 1966


Mazda RX 87 (Bertone), 1967


Isuzu Bellett MX1600 (Ghia), 1969


Toyota EX-1, 1969


Toyota EX-II, 1969


Toyota EX-III, 1969


Mazda RX-500, 1970


Mazda RX-500, 1970


Isuzu MX1600-II


Nissan 126X, 1970


Nissan 270X, 1970


Nissan 216X, 1971


Nissan Skyline Concept, 1972


Toyota EX-7, 1972


Toyota RV-2, 1972






Toyota F101, 1973


Nissan AD-1 Concept, 1975


Nissan NX-21, 1983


Nissan CUE-X, 1985


Daihatsu TA-X80, 1987


Mitsubishi HSR II, 1989


Nissan Boga, 1989


Nissan Figaro Concept, 1989


Nissan FEV, 1991


Mazda London Taxi, 1993


Mitsubishi ESR, 1993


Suzuki EE-10, 1993


Nissan AP-X, 1994


Toyota Moguls, 1995 // Nissan Hypermini, 1997


Nissan TrailRunner, 1997


Nissan KYXX, 1998


Honda Fuya-Jo, 1999


Mazda Miata Mono-Posto, 1999


Isuzu Zen, 2001


Toyota POD, 2001


Isuzu FL-4, 2002


Honda IMAS, 2003


Honda KIWAMI, 2003


Honda Pro Drag Civic Si, 2003


Nissan Jikoo, 2003


Toyota FINE-S, 2003


Toyota MTRC, 2004


Infiniti Kuraza, 2005


Mazda Senku, 2005


Mitsuoka Orochi, 2005


Nissan Zaroot, 2005


Acura Advanced Sedan, 2006


Mazda Nagare, 2006


Nissan Terranaut, 2006


Acura Advanced Sports Car, 2007


Mazda Taiki, 2007


Nissan Mixim, 2007


Nissan Bevel, 2007


Nissan Pivo-2, 2007


Honda FC Sport Concept, 2008


Mazda Kiyora, 2008


Honda P-NUT, 2009


Infiniti Essence, 2009


Nissan Land Glider, 2009

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