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Gigantic Bugs in Southern California
SloppyElvis writes "...and this time, Silicon Valley didn't create them. ;P CNN picked up this AP story about new species discovered in S.Cal. The most suprising news is this discovery came in such a densely-populated area. Beware, monstrous unknown creatures may be lurking in your backyard!"
I wonder if the timing of the news relates to the recent protest against dune buggies and other desert games.
Jeepers, those things are huge. And really ugly. I'm suddenly reminded of why living in a northern climate isn't such a bad thing -- winter kill prevents giant beasties like this from (hopefully) taking residence.
I can't imagine they have many natural enemies (other than coyotes, as mentioned in the article) -- I know I definitely wouldn't want to see the spider big enough to eat one of those monsters. I wonder what has kept their population from exploding like with most insects?
-A.
What did the walrus say to the penguin? "No soap, radio."
I am fairly sure that the pest control companies in the area knew of the bugs.
When I used to be a hired bug killer we would be asked by the company scientist if we had seen any of "bug x" and invariably, most of us had. Every time, he was surprised.
I guess scientists that don't spend much time in the field think that they know it all since they have read (suposedly) all of the books.
OK... So where can I download the patched version of Southern California?
What do you mean not that kind of bugs?
Make even shorter URLs - 8LN.org
This totally brings to mind a spooky horror novel from my childhood, called The Hephaestus Plague.
Any of 'em start a fire yet?
Big Daddy, Johnny, Burp, Aunt Zelda, Scott, Slurp, Big Momma
Somehow I'm forced to wonder if this 13 inch bug isn't native to California. In order to be a species it needs something to mate with and if people havn't been seeing 13 inch bugs before I would think that other bugs might have the same problem. In other words this isn't a species from around here. I suspect this species probably originates from some jungle and this one just escaped from its cage. Either that or its the vangaurd of a massive Alien invasion and soon legions of these are going to overwhelming our species. Alien invasion or South American pet? Take your pick.
I stole this Sig
My wife caught one a couple of years ago and kept it in a jar to prove to me they exist (I had been reluctant to believe that such a monster was real).
She calls it a "potato bug," and they're relatively common in the desert valley she grew up in.
As a New Yorker, I had seen my share of giant waterbugs, but this took the cake. It's the hideous proportions of the bug, and it's languid movements, that make it so creepy- almost as if it knows it doesn't have to be scared of anything.
(Except coyotes, apparently, and curious SoCal residents with jars).
Marc Siry || interactive media professional, motorcycle enthusiast ||
A few summers ago we had a few show up in the house we were renting in Costa Mesa. They didn't really move, and died pretty quickly (whew), but I had to try to track down what they really were to help my wife relax.
I remember calling them "patato bugs" as a kid, but couldn't find that on the web (aside from real patato bugs. After an evening of searching I finally found that they were really "Jerusalem Crickets".
I had hoped that there was at least somewhere online (college entomology department, etc.) that I could use to identify the bugs, but no dice. Then I checked to see if there was any place that would like to hear about them. Again, no dice. It seems a shame that the scientists out there aren't taking advantage of the Internet.
There's nothing new here as these are known as Potato Bugs. They're also the most repulsive and disgusting creatures on the planet. Checkout www.potatobugs.com
Those things are nasty!
The man who trades freedom for security does not deserve nor will he ever receive either. - Benjamin Franklin