7 inches of spiney Katydid

Matt K

Eurycotis
Note the forearms on this bug...

CRgiantspinykatydid.jpg


 
That is truly amazing, I almost can't even visualize a katydid that large! (I'm holding out my hands 7 inches apart and trying to see it, and I'm in shock!) One question though: What is it that allows insects in tropical parts of the world to grow so big? Are there any theories or facts on this?

I once read somewhere that insects in the Carboniferous (? I think) period were so gigantic because there was a higher oxygen ratio in the air on the planet back then...could it be that there is a higher oxygen ratio in tropical areas, or do the same large species grow as large in captivity here in the US or wherever?

 
That is truly amazing, I almost can't even visualize a katydid that large! (I'm holding out my hands 7 inches apart and trying to see it, and I'm in shock!) One question though: What is it that allows insects in tropical parts of the world to grow so big? Are there any theories or facts on this? I once read somewhere that insects in the Carboniferous (? I think) period were so gigantic because there was a higher oxygen ratio in the air on the planet back then...could it be that there is a higher oxygen ratio in tropical areas, or do the same large species grow as large in captivity here in the US or wherever?
*Also consider food availablility and types of food items, water (this photo was just after it rained), temperature consistency, etc. In Costa Rica at high elevations there were a few large bugs, but more diverse smaller insects. At lower elevations (this photo was approx. 41 meters above sea level) there were seemingly less tiny bugs and more giants. Katydids, armored millipedes, grasshoppers, land crabs, roaches, centipedes, spiders, etc. all huge. (6 or 7 inches for anything was not uncommon). I still can't forget the goliath grasshopper.....

 
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