Snatching champions among insects (dragonflies, scarabs and robber flies)

Everyone knows the immense power of a crane, but its lifting capacity is not equal to its own weight. The real snatch champions do not belong to cranes or humans, but to dragonflies, scarabs and robber flies that fly in the air and catch other harmful insects for food.

Someone has done such an experiment: catch a healthy dragonfly, tie its chest with a thread, let it grab food equivalent to 20 times its body weight, and then gently lift the dragonfly. The dragonfly can rely on its feet. Grip strength, holding food tightly for 15 minutes. We have also seen dragonflies capture adult hawkmoths that are more than five times larger than themselves, fly several meters above the ground, and then stay on the treetops to chew.

The golden beetle can pick up a weight of 324 grams, which is 53 times heavier than its own weight. Pirate Rainbow is also not weak in the snatching competition. It can catch a locust that is twice as long and twice as heavy as its body. It can easily catch and hang it with its feet and fly far away.

Insects not only have strong snatching abilities, but also have a very strong grasp. It is not easy to take away the food they have grabbed. You have to take it by force, and sometimes even if your legs are broken, it will not let go.

animal tags： robberfly