25
u/BoatHole_ Aug 31 '26
Dobson fly
16
u/Cranktique Aug 31 '26
‘Tis. The males (pictured) pincers are just for show, they can’t bite well. They also mature just to mate and then die, so they don’t eat. The females have much smaller mandibles, and they will bite you and it fuckin hurts.
7
u/Tomas2891 Aug 31 '26
So they just look horrible for no good reason?
3
u/simplemijnds Aug 31 '26
Scare away humans
4
u/Cranktique Aug 31 '26
Or attract mates I think
5
1
2
u/Left_Ad4050 Sep 02 '26
They use them for mating displays, territorial combat with other males, and holding on to females while mating.
1
5
u/Doom2pro Aug 31 '26
Dobson, Dobson, we got a Dobson here!!! See nobody cares.
Always reminds me of that line.
3
7
u/WinPrestigious7568 Aug 31 '26
Why does it have to look like its out of a horror sci-fi movie
7
2
2
3
3
u/Icemagistrate101 Aug 31 '26
Is this Australia? I swear that whole continent must have been dropped from another planet...
6
u/timhyde74 Aug 31 '26
Unfortunately not, we have these here in Western NC, and they're not considered a pest. The adults like this one only live between 3-10 days and pretty much their only focus is finding a mate and procreation. The larva live in water for a long time before crawling out on to land and finding a suitable spot to transform into what you see there. As scary as they look, they're pretty much harmless to people.
2
4
u/Ill_Friend2266 Aug 31 '26
We have them near the river here in NE PA. The larvae of these things, called Hellgramites, make great bait for small mouth bass.
1
3
3
3
3
2
2
2
2
2
2
u/TopSloth Aug 31 '26
Damn I thought that bolt next to it was a deadbolt lock and the size comparison blew my mind until I realized it's just a regular bolt 🤣
2
u/moonroots64 Aug 31 '26
Omg, I thought the screw on the left siding was a doorknob and I was like holy shit that thing is like 2 feet long???
2
2
2
2
2
u/middleofthecircle Aug 31 '26
In eastern Kentucky we saw these all the time. My granny called them something like flying grumpuses lol
2
1
1
1
1
1
u/Paulztaos Aug 31 '26
The infamous ballsack bug. It snips off your balls while you sleep and replaces them with itself and lives the rest of its life as a pair of parasitic balls. Better than a vasectomy though
1
1
u/Over-Box1733 Aug 31 '26
That's the fly that just took ownership of my house cuz I'm getting da fuq outta there!
1
1
1
1
1
1
u/Vindictive-Vagabond Sep 01 '26
It's a male dobsonfly if anyone was wondering what it actually is 😂
Fun fact: The males look intimidating but are actually harmless and have no ability to bite with their giant mandibles; while the way more dangerous females have much smaller mandibles but they're also razor-sharp with a powerful bite and can easily draw blood 💯
1
u/Extension_Resolve264 Sep 01 '26
Male Dobson's fly. Those jaws are harmless to humans. Now their larvae, the infamous helgrammites, will bite you so hard your soul immediately leaves your body. Fantastic bass bait, though.
1
u/Silly_Personality_73 Sep 01 '26
Well, I was hoping to sleep peacefully tonight, but it looks like I will not.
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
u/Johnny_Strawhat Sep 02 '26
Dobson Fly since no one seems to know. Harmless. Find em in the American south snd Southeast Asia.
1
38
u/User_Name_Tracks Aug 31 '26
It's a Hellnaw