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 