Clonia wahlbergii
I wish I was brave enough to put one of these insects on my hand and show you just how gigantic they are. But I am not… And my fear isn’t entirely irrational as these katydids, whose bodies measure up to 7cm without including any appendages in the calculation, are reported to have a very nasty bite. Something which I hope never to have to put to the test.
Clonia walhbergii is a nocturnal predator, ferociously feeding on large insects and other invertebrates unlucky enough to cross its path. In South Africa this species is found from the Eastern Cape, through the coastal and bushveld areas of Kwazulu-Natal, the Lowveld of Mpumalanga and Limpopo Province, along the Limpopo Valley right through to the Kalahari regions of North West and the Northern Cape, occurring in habitats that varies from forest margins to arid savanna. It seems not much is known about their reproductive cycle except that eggs are laid in the ground.
DeWetsWild 
Imagine – little town crickets make a big noise… so, this monster is sure to make siren calls to warn of it’s imminent attack (of humans!) 😁😁😁
No AJ, they are silent and deadly…
Wow – spectacular. I don’t think I’ve ever seen one of these.
Don’t say that too loudly – they might come looking for you!
🙂
Keeping my distance, Dries. I find these creatures both fascinating and creepy, not to mention scareeee. 😯
Problem is they don’t always want to keep their distance the same way I do. I’ve learned not to look back immediately when something lands behind me when we’re out camping… 😀
😳😅
Holy smokes, that is NOT your garden variety cricket! I don’t blame you for steering clear, and like you, I think if one of those landed on my neck, I would die of a heart attack before the beast even had a chance to bite me….😉
I understand entirely, Lori. I would also just give up the ghost without a fight.
Yikes
Yours is much more polite than the exclamations I utter when one of these come towards me, Sue! 😀
😀😀😀😂
Does this mean they prefer to eat flesh rather than crops?
Indeed Tracy. These crickets have no taste for veggies whatsoever. Meatlovers in the extreme.
!!
No need for you even to pretend to be brave: these creatures are best looked at through a telephoto lens!
And wearing full PPE! 😀
Thanks for the encouraging comment, Anne.
I had not dared to hold on to it either. Have a little insect phobia!😂😂😂 Snakes I can hold on to!
Thanks for the support John, and so nice to hear from you! Are you well?
Vacation now for 2 weeks but not much to do…
I hope you thoroughly enjoy the bit of rest!
My wereld is dit n kriek? Altyd gedink dis n sprinkaan. Oulik hoor.
Sprinkane en krieke is mos maar eintlik dieselfde familie, Ineke – ek dink hierdie een is net n “kriek” omdat hy snags aktief is.
Ek sien klink logies. Steeds baie interessant! Jy maak my lewe hier darem altyd die moeite werd met jou verduidelikings en fotos. Ek bly nog maar vasklou aan dinge wat bekend vir my is.
Dit is regtig baie gawe terugvoer, Ineke, en ons waardeer dit opreg!
Jul is beslis spesiaal.
This cricket is like a combination of the praying mantis and a locust. Isn’t it? Don’t you have any nice bugs? I take it that you don’t like them. 🙂
We have some reaaally scary insects around these parts, H.J, which is why I try to balance posts like this with posts about beautiful African butterflies… But I tell you, the moment one of these bush crickets land in my neck will in all likelihood be my last on this earth. 😀
😃
We have a post about another scary creepy-crawly lined up for a few weeks from now, H.J. 😉