According to the Insect Museum of West China, locals in a village in China’s Sichuan province handed over “weird insects that resemble giant dragonflies with long teeth” earlier this month.
Researchers at the museum identified the insects as an unusually large Dobsonfly.
As the museum helpfully points out, the nightmarish creatures are large enough to cover the face of a human adult. The largest one measured 21 centimetres (8.27 inches) when its wings were open.
Museum staff, who measured the insects, believe them to be the largest aquatic bugs in the world. The previous record-holder, with a wingspan of 7.5 inches, was a South American damselfly.
The bugs may be terrifying, but researchers said that the existence of the dobsonflies was actually a good sign, as they are attracted to clean water. We hope the villagers of Chengdu will find comfort in the cleanliness of their water when bugs the size of personal pizzas become a regular fixture of their daily lives.
Agencies/Canadajournal
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