Incredible Insects 720p

in the shadows of our planet there's an extraordinary world where insects outnumber humans 200 million to one by far the biggest animal family on earth they rule the skies the watery underworld command the rotting forest floor they're bizarrely adapted from horrifying mouth paths strength in numbers and killer camouflage to a giant predator that rules them all for the size and strength to prey on bats this is the world of incredible insects end of winter Japan a giant Hornet queen awakes from a six-month slumber at 5 centimeters long she's the largest wasp on earth [Music] she has only one goal to raise an army [Music] she constructs a nest from wood pulp and spit to lay the eggs of her prized warriors everyone a female her daughters are born armed and dangerous a stinger over six millimeters long jaws strong enough to dismember prey and wings design for precision flying [Music] soon the hive is over 600 strong [Music] the larvae scraped their mandibles along the cell walls to signal their hunger it is time for the Hornets to hunt their favorite prey honeybees Scouts are dispatched [Music] one reaches a beehive and marks it with pheromones which guide the troops they're after the larvae and honey but first they must destroy the Beast [Music] a single Hornet can execute 40 honeybees in immunity they rip the grubs from the comb [Music] but the bees rally they have evolved their own way of dealing with unwelcome wasps first they mob the intruder by vibrating their flight muscles the honeybees raise the collective temperature to over 40 degrees Celsius the bees are more heat tolerant an intruder is literally cooked alive [Music] yet despite the bees best efforts there are no match for a hornet swarm [Music] [Music] within three hours the massacre is over and nearly 30,000 bees are dead the Hornets return to their nest with enough food to feed the entire colony not least the growing grubs Hornets have mastered the military attack but other bugs have adapted in different ways to find food even if it means getting wet this is the diving beetle although it can fly the prefers to swim its flats round body helps it glide through the water like a torpedo and a hardy exoskeleton protects it when it's on the hunt its back legs are covered in fine hairs and adds like pores which propel it forward but most impressive is its ability to breathe underwater the diving beetle shoves the tip of his abdomen out of the surface and pulls air into the cavity below its wings this air bubble will act like a homemade scuba tank from which it can breathe [Music] once the oxygen supply is used up the leftover gases are released and the Beetle returns to the surface for a refill but why go through all this trouble the answer is simple food down here there's an all-you-can-eat buffet with little competition and the diving beetles favorite prey are juicy tadpoles you can't see while it's all so the people simply grabs at anything that moves [Music] it slices up its meal with a scissor like mouth and starts to devour the tadpole alive the diving beetle is not the only one to exploit these waters while it may rule the aquatic underworld another bug has evolved to patrol the surface this is the miraculous water Strider like a figure skater the water Strider has mastered the art of walking on water the tips of its legs are shaped like oars and while the middle legs paddle the hind legs stare at Vilnius centimeter long the water Strider can move and over 1 meter per second that's like an ice skater skating the length of 3 ice rinks in one second technically water Striders should sink as they're denser than water their long legs do help to distribute their body weight but the true secret to this miracle is hidden at a microscopic level thousands of micro hairs cover its body and legs and each hair is coated in a waterproof wax these hairs trap air which forms a bubble cushion against the surface of the water as each leg pushes down the air bubble pushes back allowing the water Strider to walk on water such miraculous legs require the utmost care so grooming keeps it's waterproof hairs in check but amid its small size and delicate touch fool you the water Strider is an accomplished predator with its front legs it picks up the vibrations of a struggling insect but others also prey on drowning victims it'll have to leave this one to the fish competition is stiff but there's enough to go around with special claws he holds his prey in position and injects a cocktail of enzymes that liquefy the moths gut before slapping up the nutritious meal the water Strider Wade's too sure to prepare for its next attack a dangerous place for some a nursery for others this bizarre-looking creature is actually a dragonfly in the making it's known as a nymph and is specially adapted to live underwater with gills in its rectum and an on-board jet propulsion system [Music] [Applause] some species will live as nymphs for up to five years molting 15 times as they grow to grow into an adult this nymph must eat as much as he can it's a terrifying hunter behind this hinge lies a shocking surprise [Music] [Music] it's hard to believe that something so adapted eventually takes to the air but not all insect larvae live in water one lives in one of the driest places on earth the 40 degree African savannah is the hunting ground for a lightning-fast predator the antlion looks like a creature more at home in a Star Wars film and it's perfectly adapted to rule this sandy inferno tiny hairs propel it through the sand while a waxy exoskeleton slows dehydration the antlion doesn't need to drink water it gets all its liquids from its prey it's the larvae of a flying insect [Music] but it still has to develop wings eyes and an anus and to grow into a full-fledged adult the aunt line must eat [Music] but first it sets a hunting trap [Music] using its abdomen it shovels through the sand in search of the perfect spot for an ambush [Music] the antlion gradually bores into the earth making the pet deeper and deeper [Music] the steep sides are loose and unstable [Music] [Music] Sun showers knock its victim off-balance it's sickle-shaped jaws slam shut and inject paralyzing venom to finally subdue its prey the jaws act like a straw through which the antlion feeds once the carcass is sucked dry the empty vessel is discarded and the antlion resets its trap ready for the next victim while the antlions clever trap provides it with prey it also offers protection from predators staying out of harm's way as an important driver in the evolution of insects and the defense's and naturally the most effective way of staying out of danger is not to be detected at all somewhere on this tree is the longest insect on the planet the giant stick insect can grow to over 25 centimetres long and to avoid being eaten this dithering vegetarian has evolved an array of elaborate defenses her most powerful is camouflage sucker pods are the tips of her feet allow her to hang around and even abide down almost lifeless her exoskeleton bears a striking resemblance to bark while her joints look like knots along a branch even her eyes are hard to find the stick insect not only looks like a twig she acts like one too swaying in the wind she consumes the entire leaf leaving no half-chewed bit behind that might give away her position the stick insect takes camouflage so seriously that even her faeces looks like a stick but when her clever camouflage doesn't quite cut it she has another trick up her sleeve wings this sudden flash of colors designed to startle predators but the snake isn't the turn so the stick insect tries one more defense insect teargas it works the stick insect goes to extreme lengths to cling to life and so does this bug she's stocking up her lada with bodies this is the thread wasted was her large eyes provide excellent color vision and allow her to spot prey from afar [Music] for precision flying she hooks her wings together like velcro and targets a praying from the air the wasp injects venom into the caterpillar keeping it alive but completely paralyzed this preserved meal is not for her she drags the dead weight dinner back to her underground nest where her eggs incubating glued on to previously incapacitated prey this wasp can carry caterpillars that weigh up to 10 times her own weight her forelegs are like brakes and covering the entrance to a maze with strong jaws she pulls the plug and a caterpillar is dragged into the darkness [Music] completely paralyzed it will stay alive and fresh in this tomb for weeks and when the baby was born the caterpillar will be eaten alive she covers her tracks only she will know where to find it again while this was Berry's her victims underground others go one step further to ensure a fresh meal for their offspring this parasitoid wasps injects her eggs straight into the caterpillar she lays up to a hundred eggs in one shot deep into the caterpillars body [Music] the soft insides of the caterpillar incubate the eggs and once they hatch the larvae would eat their way out the growing wasp La Vie control the caterpillars nervous system and appetite forcing it to consume one and a half times more food than it normally would until it's time to leave the host [Music] they eat their way free and complete their transition into adulthood but sadly the mutilated caterpillar will never get to complete its own metamorphosis the praying mantis is an expert husband [Music] it combines incredible speed with a set of deadly weapons its front legs are spring-loaded and lined with hooks and spikes used to impale its prey but the secret of the marksman's hunting success lies not only in its deadly forearms but also in its incredibly sharp senses to thin an 10 I pick up even the faintest scent of prey its triangular head can turn almost full circle giving it a super-sized field of view while five eyes allow it to detect movement up to 18 metres away it's two larger eyes made up of 10,000 light-sensitive structures essentially each one a tiny eye with its own lens each tiny lens focuses light down to the optic nerve with a full Super HD panoramic picture is created these alien like eyes don't have pupils the black spots are an optical illusion the Mantid isn't just looking at you it sees everything it's weapons are loaded and it senses a sharp it's time to hunt [Music] [Music] [Applause] with incredible strength the praying mounted tears its prey apart [Music] [Applause] after consuming every last bit he cleans up before heading off to find dessert the praying mantis is not the only killer patrolling the forest floor while it may look funny and the assassin Barna is more horror story than comedy the bug has the ability to literally liquefy its prey it's red color is not just for show it's a warning to other predators with antennae as long as its body it seeks out its next meal and it's needle-like beak can inflict a painful sting once a tasty meal is being targeted [Music] the assassin bug grabs hold tiny hairs on its legs offer a vice-like grip once it finds a soft spot the proboscis goes to work within seconds the prey is paralyzed and its insides begin to dissolve the robust kiss kisses the victims gut injecting a lethal cocktail of enzymes and digestive juices this venomous saliva destroys everything in its path turning the cells into soup once the liquid meal is ready the assassin bugs slaps it all up back through its deadly straw most bugs that feed this way have two separate tubes one for injecting and one for sucking with the assassin bugs big acts as both syringe and siphon which allows it to target large prey twice its own size Africa is home to many deadly animals both large and small this river of jaws is made up of over 50 million ants the largest ant colony in the world these are driver ants from the hunters and gatherers to the builders and architects every single ant has its place in this super organized super organism for the largest and scariest of them all are the soldiers standing over three centimetres tall they guard the colony with their life and their enormous jaws these powerful pincers can intimidate crush and tear apart anything that threatens the colony its jaws are so strong that they will maintain a vice-like grip even if its body is removed from its head local tribesmen even use the ants decapitated heads as surgical staples to close up open wounds to survive out here the colony works together as one they use their own bodies to build incredible structures columns to form the foundation for their nests living walls to protect their Queen and even bridges up to 12 meters long to cross water and they do all of this in the dark they're all blind they communicate with pheromones picked up with their super-sensitive antenna and the message is clear it's time to feed in just 24 hours this black wave strips the life from an area as big as a football fields [Music] up to 100,000 victims in one day but not only the small fall prey to this deadly swarm drive ants will overpower birds and even weak mammals their victims are dismembered transported and consumed by the masses [Music] they leave nothing behind once they've eaten everything in the area it's time to move on and find new feeding grounds southern Africa may be home to some of the deadliest bugs around but it's in the tropics that we find the true Giants an abundance of food and clever ways of avoiding predators have allowed a handful of bugs to reach incredible size even though everyone starts off small in this indonesian jungle a miracle is about to unfold right before your very eyes this tiny egg no bigger than a grain of rice will give rise to one of the largest insects on the planet the Atlas moth but in order for him to reach gigantic proportions he needs to eat and for the first six weeks of his life that is all he does it's not long before he's too big for his own skin his soft inside bulge and his old body suit pops open to allow the caterpillar to burrow his large fleshy spikes coated in an itchy powder help deter any hungry onlookers he will shed his skin four times as he grows fatter and fatter and nothing goes to waste this glutton continues to binge eat until he's the size of a pork sausage and then it's time for his makeover the caterpillar starts to construct his own silk changing room it's behind this silky curtain that the magic happens while his outer skin hardens into a protective shell the caterpillars insides liquefy as his new body parts develop it's a full-body makeover one month later it's time for the big reveal [Music] [Music] he pumps air and blood into his wings to expand and hardener the wingspan extends to 30 centimeters [Music] it truly is a mammoth moth [Music] the ugly duckling is now a mosaic of color and it's not just for show the tips of the muff swings resemble the face of a cobra when threatened by predators the Atlas moth will imitate this deadly snake by moving his wings back and forth despite this elaborate and miraculous transformation the adult Atlas moth has little over a week to live with no mouth he is unable to feed so all his energy goes into finding a mate even the biggest of insects will have to contribute to the circle of life and with little strength left our mammoth moth can't escape the dangers of the jungle floor [Music] his time is up and he becomes an integral part of the food chain the tropical rainforests of Central America provides the perfect cover for our next giant amongst the decay of leaves and the remains of fallen trees it's the grub of a Hercules beetle this monstrous larva already weighs as much as an apple and he's bulking up his lift underground for over a year gorging himself on rotting wood getting bigger and bigger tiny hairs all over his body help him whore his bulb through the wet soil always searching for more food one sees the size of a bread roll he disappears underground to begin an incredible transformation three weeks later the bulging grub has transformed into an impressive beetle its new limbs are hooked with claws it's once soft flesh is now coated in indestructible armor complete with a gigantic horn this is the Hercules beetle he's now almost 18 centimeters in length and he's able to carry up to 850 times his own weight that's the equivalent of a human lifting nine elephants yet this giant is a strict vegetarian this rotting fruit is a delicacy but another male also has a sweet tooth [Music] they're gigantic horns only have one purpose to fight each other [Music] and this feast is worth defending [Music] the winner will be the first one to flip his opponent [Music] [Music] the Challenger doesn't stand a chance against our hurricanes [Music] victorious a heavyweight champion returns to his feast but the intruder will have to try his luck elsewhere this giant vegetarian may have size and strength on its side but our next monster bug adds deadly venom to feast on something totally unexpected the dark Amazon jungle is home to one of the world's scariest bugs this is a centipede an undulating wave of point seek Lord legs revealed this is not an insect this species is carnivorous and venomous but its sheer size is what sets it apart its last pair of extra-long legs act like spikey pincers to grab anything that approaches from behind [Music] but it's the front pair of modified legs that are lethal to enormous hypodermic fangs filled with paralyzing venom for the centipede is dwarfed by a bigger brother this is the giant centipede [Music] it can grow to the length of your forearm which allows this heavyweight to capture prey twice its own size even if it flies when night falls in the Amazon jungle things quickly go from tropical to terrifying the giant centipede prepares to hunt [Music] he's not interested in the beetles and cockroaches on the cave floor there's a much larger meal on offer it's pitch black but the centipede is used to hunting in the top it's blind as a bat and uses its feelers to pick up the scent and movement of potential prey the bats sense danger and take flight but the giant centipede is waiting he snags one out of midair with the strength of a small snake he wraps up his prey his fangs sink in quickly paralyzing the bat the giant centipede shears off pieces of meat and devours the bat alive it eats all the bats flesh doubling its own weight and process [Music] over 400 million years of evolution have turned the giant centipede into a specialist cliff-hanging hunter and there's no telling what prey it'll go after next the world without insects is unimaginable they are an essential link in the food chain without which the web of life would collapse our collection of insects has many weird and wonderful abilities from liquefying spit and strength in numbers to expert weapons and full body makeovers some specialist hunters while others are attentive parents they're masters of camouflage and they are downright magnificent the diversity of nature is alive and well in the incredible world of insects [Music] you

Channel: ian heslop

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Keywords: yt:quality=high, yt:crop=16:9, yt:stretch=16:9, yt:stretch=4:3, yt:crop=off, 240p:, 426x240, 360p:, 640x360, 480p:, 854x480, 720p:, 1280x720, 1080p:, 1920x1080, 1440p:, 2560x1440, 2160p:, 3840x2160

Id: vY9VhJVw2hU

Length: 44min 0sec (2640 seconds)

Published: Mon May 30 2016