Tuesday 15 July 2008

The Unknown Insect Makes Its Point (and flies off)

Naturally I can't resist this story. Like yesterday's reminder of the resilience of nature, this pointed evidence of its vastness, complexity and mystery - and of the limits of our knowledge of it - neatly deflates our human delusions of grandeur. Hats off to the unknown insect!

4 comments:

  1. "The bug appears to be harmless, but there is potential for it to spread throughout the UK, said experts."

    it's certainly been spotted in my bedroom (unless I'm mistaken, which is easily the case). I never know how it gets there, since I've never known it to fly. Quite big too. It tends to cling and move slowly. I usually catch in a tumbler and toss it out of the window - yuk...

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  2. You are celebrating this bug, but I remember when people first started finding "snakehead" fish in the creeks and lakes hereabouts. No one had ever seen 'em before, nor were they cute -- they did look like snakes. Seems they got in with some imported fish (I want to say from China, but it might have been Japan or somewhere else altogether) and now they're chowing down all the natives and setting up shop everywhere.

    On the other hand, I guess that's just what species do, when they can. Our own species is a good example. We thrive while much else dies.

    You still haven't told me what those beetles scuttling through my yard were about, Nige. The big one with the horns kinda scared me -- he looked like he could take me out if I messed with him, so I let him gallop on.

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  3. That's the beauty of it Selena - it's 'unknown' and yet it's all over London - ha!
    You're quite right about those dangerous incomers Susan - we foolishly imported your grey 'squirrels' and look what happened... As for your beetles, I'm afraid I've no idea - we don't get anything scarier than the stag beetle over here. Sorry.

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