Family Hetrodinae
There aren’t very many creatures in Africa that gives me nightmares, but this is undeniably one of the exceptions! Built like tanks complete with an armoured exoskeleton, formidable mandibles with which they can inflict a painful bite, and intimidating spikes on their legs and 5cm-long bodies (without including their legs in the measurement), just the thought of one of them finding its way onto my neck is almost enough to make me faint…
South Africa has about 30 species of Armoured Ground Crickets, also known locally as Corn Crickets, occurring throughout the country. They are omnivores, often regarded as an agricultural pest and capable even of killing and eating chicks in their nests, and will even cannibalise dead of their own kind! Not much will try and prey on Armoured Ground Crickets as they have the habit of spraying noxious “blood” from their bodies to ward of attackers, though they are eaten by bat-eared foxes and kori bustards.
DeWetsWild 