Wild Facts

© ZMUC, Copenhagen

I hope all of you will enjoy today’s Wild Fact because I will probably be getting in trouble from Saint Helena’s Economic Development Department.  I have a hunch that many of you will not want to visit this isolated island in the South Atlantic after you read about today’s animal.  Personally, I want to go and visit even more just to see if I can find one of the amazing Saint Helena Earwigs.  Unfortunately, this particular earwig has been dubbed the “Dodo of Dermaptera” (Dermaptera is just the classification that earwigs fall into).   They get this title since this particular species is endemic to such a small area and could very well already be extinct.  I sure hope they are not extinct because these insects seem pretty cool.

Now I know some of you get squeamish around earwigs (I am looking your way, Mom) but I bet our little earwigs in North America don’t seem too bad compared to the Saint Helena Earwig.  Why?  Because these particular earwigs have been known to grow as large as 83 mm (3.3″) long and is known as the largest earwig on the planet.  Could you just imagine a 3″ earwig crawling around your hair while you nap?

As I mentioned, this giant Earwig could very well be extinct as a result of habitat loss.  They were last spotted in 1967 and after several unsuccessful expeditions, the results are not looking good for this cool insect.  The Saint Helena Earwig was first discovered in 1798 but was pretty much forgotten about in the Science world until 1962.  That seems like an awfully long time to forget about a giant earwig.  If I lived there I would be constantly thinking about them.  It is also funny (or sad) that they were rediscovered only 5 years before they potentially went extinct.  Maybe they were better off being forgotten.

Saint Helena Earwig Fast Fact – This particular earwig likes (I am using present tense since I am trying to be positive about their potential existence) to burrow deep beneath the ground and only come out at night after it rains.   Perhaps the island is still loaded with these earwigs but nobody likes going out at night after it rains?  So what do you think?  Is it possible that these cute earwigs are still alive?

Thanks for reading and I will see all of tomorrow for the final fact of the week.

Photo by L. Jesse

I just realized that it has been awhile since we have done a post about those pesky little insects.  I am surprised by this since I am absolutely fascinated by insects and the incredible behaviours they exhibit. My goal today is to try and convince at least one person that some of the “yuckiest” insects such as the Earwig have some pretty good qualities as well. Stop squirming and continue reading to find out more about this little “pincerbug”.

I am sure a lot of us have had the pleasure to see an earwig up close and personal.  I am not sure how many of us though actually took the time to appreciate and understand this harmless little bug.  Earwigs are often blamed for destroying crops and other foliage.  Although, they do feed on this yummy plant material (well, yummy to them, not to me) they also feed on various insects which are known to cause even more damage to our beloved crops. Personally, I would take the lesser of two evils and utilize the earwigs to protect my valuable resources. I am not saying I would go out and collect 1000′s of earwigs to protect my farm, well unless it was an earwig farm of course!

I am guessing you are still not convinced that the earwig deserves a little bit of appreciation so I will keep trying.  How about this one?  Did you realize that the earwig is one of the few insects that actually cares for its eggs and will watch over the little nymphs until they reach their second molt.  You see most insects just drop their eggs and let them fend for themselves.  That would be equivalent to us dropping our newborn baby in the wild and saying, “Good Luck Little Nathan, I hope you survive”.  I guess this strategy worked for that Jungle Book guy so maybe it isn’t too bad.  Anyway, back to my point!  Yes, the female earwig is a proud mother and will take extreme measures to ensure the safety of her young ones.  If you ask me this is a pretty impressive trait for this heroic insect!

So you still haven’t rushed out to buy the latest Earwig T-Shirt? (could you imagine if they actually had these)  Maybe you will be a little less scared of the earwig after I clear up the myth that they crawl into your ear and bore into your brain.  I can tell you right now that they have better things to do such as caring for their young!

You have to admit that the maternal instinct of the earwig is pretty impressive and unique.  I think they deserve and a little appreciation and I hope you see that now too.

Have a great weekend everyone!!