For the identification of insects and other fauna and flora of South Africa.

Monday, October 19, 2009

Kruger National Park - The other side - Part 7

This is a Monster Tiger Beetle and at about 3 inches in body length, it is a monster alright!!
If disturbed, it will fall on its back and play dead. They are flightless and nocturnal predators feeding on unsuspecting ground-dwelling insects.
Would you look at those mandibles!! It is thought that the male uses them to hold onto the female when mating. If I was a female, I would not willingly mate with this ugly male either. :)
An unexpected hitch-hiker flew into the car begging for a lift.
This is one of the most colorful moths I have ever seen and quite small.
The begining of summer finds the wild fig trees full of ripening fruit. These trees are about 20 foot in height and grow where there is underground water.
Then as we all know, figs are actually a flower and not a fruit.
These trees are buzzing with many species of birds right now because of the abundance of fruit.
They look just like normal figs inside but are prone to have lots of insects inside them.
The sun tried vainly to come out today without much success.