The dobsonfly wasn't there when I got to work, but I found another one on the building opposite the VC. This time I took a small stick and brought it near the head, just to see what it would do. Snap! Yikes!
Then I found another one on the wall, and it didn't have those big jaws, just the feathery antennae.
I showed them to Bill, my boss, who also knows a lot about insects, and he explained that the ones with the big jaws are the males, and the ones without are the females - and that's what you really want to watch out for! The males' jaws are too big to bite, but the females have a painful bite!
While I was out there I had to get a picture of this lovely daddy-long-legs. Such exciting wildlife we find at Bandy Creek Visitor Center!
Also, it turns out that a dobsonfly is not an actual fly. Bill pointed out that if it has "fly" in the name, it's not a true fly; if it is, it will be a separate name in the word. For instance, dragonfly vs. horse fly. I never realized horse fly was two separate words, but there you are!
While I was out there I had to get a picture of this lovely daddy-long-legs. Such exciting wildlife we find at Bandy Creek Visitor Center!
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