The giraffe weevil is a species of beetle from the pipeworm family. Weevil giraffe. What does the giraffe weevil look like? Features of the behavior of giraffe insects in an open environment

Giraffe beetle.

This INSECT gets its name from its very long neck, but. unlike the REAL GIRAFFE, it serves as a WEAPONS for the beetle.

Representatives of the family of tubulars have a very unusual feature - long noses, which sometimes even resemble miniature elephant trunks.

It seems that such beetles sniff leaves and soil. In children's cartoons, they often draw a small mouth under the proboscis. In fact, this is an elongated part of the head, and the mouth is a tiny hole at the very tip of the proboscis. But the giraffe beetle unusual appearance managed to outdo the rest of the pipe workers.

The structure of the giraffe beetle.

MIRACLE-YUDO FROM MADAGASCAR

"Diapers" for eggs.

The giraffe beetle lives in Madagascar, the homeland of many amazing creatures. It only feeds on tree leaves. a certain kind- Dichaetanthera cordifolio and Dichoetonthera orborea growing in unique forests this large island in the Indian Ocean.

Nature has awarded only the males of this species with a characteristic giraffe neck; in females, it is three times shorter. The neck consists of two sections. The lower one is an elongated prothorax - this is the part of the chest that usually carries the front legs. The upper part of the neck is a tubular continuation of the head capsule. At the very end of the neck is a very tiny, compared to the neck, head with a chewing oral apparatus capable of handling tough leaves.

The neck is like a weapon.

MARRIAGE TOURNAMENTS

The sexual dimorphism of giraffe beetles has evolved, as it usually does in males, due to competition. During the mating season, the female sits on a wide leaf to start preparing covers.
for eggs, and immediately males appear next to her.

Opponents arrange a battle with their necks, trying to knock each other down. If the forces are equal, the female intervenes in the dispute, choosing one winner - perhaps the male with the longer neck. Shortly after the tournament, mating takes place. The female then wraps the egg in a leaf, but the victorious male does not leave her.

There are moments in life when you look at some picture in a book or encyclopedia and meet there a completely unfamiliar creature that looks as if it immigrated to this sheet from a book of fairy tales or stories about non-existent creatures.

It is these thoughts that visit a person when he has the opportunity to meet with such a representative of the living world of the planet as a giraffe beetle. His peculiar name, speaks for itself. And after reading or hearing it, you can be absolutely sure that this is some kind of "animal" with a completely unusual, even peculiar appearance.

If you think sensibly, it is quite clear that our mother nature did her best, of course: someone got good health as a gift from her, someone got a talent, and someone had an interesting and unique appearance. Here, as they say, to each his own. But what do you say about the fact that some people live with the dream of having such a peculiar specimen as pet, instead of the usual kitten or puppy.

In this situation, everyone has completely different thoughts and opinions in their heads. Someone might think that this is nonsense and keeping a beetle in the house is already abnormal, even if it is very rare and thoroughbred, someone will think that this is really amazing and envy the determination of this dreamer, but some do not think and do not reason - they take it and start it, putting all their courage and efforts into it.

By purchasing such a miracle of nature, you will undoubtedly be able to stand out among all the people in your environment and your home pet will not only delight you every day, but will also cause a storm of various feelings and emotions in most of all your friends and acquaintances.

When it comes to choosing a friend of your smaller one, then there is absolutely no need to follow the usual rules, because choosing a friend is your personal and purely individual matter. And whether it's a beetle or a dog - it doesn't matter at all, the main thing is that you feel good together, and you experience joy after meeting your pupil when you return home after a hard day's work.

Before scouring all the websites of online pet stores, you should get to know your extraordinary "animal" better.

Family ties and homelands of giraffe beetles

In a large friendly kingdom of living organisms that are inhabitants of our world, a small creature lives, nature has given it a very bright and original appearance. This specimen is called the giraffe beetle (lat. Trachelophorus giraffa). Scientists-zoologists attributed it to the family of tubers, to the order Coleoptera and to the class of insects.

In the event that you were visited by the idea that you want to see such a long-necked miracle in his native territory, then in order to realize this goal, you should go to the big island of Madagascar. And to be more precise, in the southeast of the island there is a small province of Fianarantsoa, ​​in which there is one picturesque place called Ranomafana National Park. It is in it, among the dense evergreen rainforest, ferns and graceful orchids, you can find this cute little bug. Although it is rarely possible to meet him when he slowly walks along the paths of his native land.

This beetle got its name because it has Long neck, in relation to the body, like a giraffe, here people, seeing this “similarity”, called it a giraffe beetle.

If you trust some sources, the appearance of these pretty bugs was discovered not long ago, only in 2008. These prominent representatives close-knit family of tube-rollers in the conditions open nature not so much. But no one can say for sure about them. conservation status. Even in such a responsible issue, the opinions of scientists differed. Some scholars argue that they should be protected by law, as they may disappear from the face of the earth. But some of them are sure that the reason lies not at all in the fact that their limited number in wildlife - the whole snag is that these creations of nature are not at all sufficiently studied.

Description of the appearance of giraffe beetles

As for the exterior of this arthropod insect, Mother Nature, of course, worked very hard in its creation and showed all her imagination and creative thinking. If we talk about this "giraffe" and the features of his appearance, then we can firmly and very confidently say: "Once you see, you will never forget!" And indeed it is. Looking at his photographs on various pages of the World Wide Web or in books about animals, the thought suggests itself that this is such a “super model” among everything big world entomology.

All frames with the participation of this beetle are a work of art. Saturated colors the bodies of the insect, combined with the beautiful landscape in the photo, simply fascinate and willy-nilly make them admire.

Probably the most visible and most publicized part of the giraffe-like bug's body is its neck. This attraction is not only a part of the body, but also a weapon, an instrument that helps him in creating comfort conditions in his Everyday life, as well as in the process of procreation. The length of the neck often exceeds the size of the entire body of the insect, but this happens only in males.

The structure of the neck, in these very extraordinary "bugs" is not quite elementary. It is represented by two almost independent departments. The lower "floor" is the so-called prothorax, which looks slightly elongated. The forelimbs are attached to this part. The upper part of the neck is a kind of continuation of the head capsule, slightly reminiscent of a tube in shape. The neck of these arthropods ends with a completely small head, which, in relation to the size of the entire beetle as a whole, seems extremely tiny. It contains the oral chewing system, which provides necessary processing food products of the giraffe trumpeter.

After all, as entomologists say, these representatives of the living world of the planet are not born as such: the neck of males grows in the process of development, as a result of adaptation to harsh conditions external environment. It is known that male beetles by their nature are real gentlemen and take all the male work on their neck, in the truest sense of the word. It is the neck that helps them in building cozy nests for their family.

Another feature in the body structure of these mysterious creatures is the presence of an additional neck joint, thanks to which they can quickly bend up and down without much difficulty, which helps them in mating games and in the process of obtaining food.

Females are more miniature and proportional, the size of their neck is approximately two to three times smaller. The total body length of the original beetle is approximately 20–28 mm.

It is impossible not to mention the unusually beautiful body color of the giraffe bug, which is made by nature with special sophistication and the correct combination of shades. The entire body of a beetle specimen of the genus, including the head, neck, abdomen and limbs, is painted in a rich jet black color. But the elytra appear before our eyes in a beautiful noble bright red color scheme. Another characteristic property of the body colors of this arthropod is the glossy sheen of almost the entire body, one cannot ignore how its color shimmers under direct sunlight.

Insect breeding method

These fabulous living creatures are not only happy owners of an outstanding appearance, but they also managed to stand out extremely original way breeding.

The thing is that the female representatives of these pretty insects prefer to create "new cells of society" only with the most worthy and strong "male" beetles. To do this, among the strong half of the beetles, so-called battles are held for the right to mate with a female giraffe beetle. No matter how much one or another male does not long for victory, in these bloody battles there is still one rule that they do not violate under any circumstances. It implies that in no case should any participant lose his life, they simply choose the strongest among the participants. And the entire period of this action, the female observes the course of these military actions, just as emperors ancient rome admired the battles of gladiators.

The whole point of the battle is to knock down opponents. But there are various situations, even in the life of insects. In the event that the battle continues for a long period of time, and the forces of the long-necked competitors are equal, then the right of choice goes to the “woman” beetle herself. When the fight is over or stopped by the female, the mating procession soon takes place.

Also, the male winner is not only the strongest, but also caring and prudent, and treats his future offspring with special trepidation. First, he searches for a long time for the leaf he needs, then with the help of his unusually long neck he folds it into a small bundle, which looks like a small tube or barrel. Then the expectant mother lays her only egg in this "cradle".

Almost all representatives of this family do this, from which the name "tubkoverty" comes from.

But not all tube-rolling giraffes are decent and caring "husbands". Most of them leave their chosen one almost immediately after the end of the mating process. After all, the female lays the egg after some time and already alone packs it in a special leaf.

If everything went without any problems and the enemy individuals did not reach the future giraffe beetle, then after a few days its larva begins to gradually make its way out of its small shelter. In the event that the "baby" does not quite have the strength to get out of his house, then maternal instinct long-necked female does her job, and she independently cuts the exit for her baby.

Features of the behavior of giraffe insects in an open environment

Speaking about these extraordinary living beings, we can say that they are inveterate homebodies. After all, they do not tend to leave their habitat, and besides, they rarely even go out for a walk.

They spend most of their free time from sleep in the trees. There they construct nests for themselves, where they live, or simply on the surfaces of the leaves. In these places, weevil bugs can spend hours basking in the sun, sunbathing. But on the trees they not only goof off, but also get food. The thing is that they feed on hard leaves of only a few types of trees, most often they live on them.

If someone is very lucky, then also occasionally there is an opportunity to meet them on the roads. There they can walk or just relax on the side of the road.

Giraffe beetle food

In the event that it comes to the diet of this representative of the world fauna, then it can be called with full confidence, casting aside all unnecessary doubts, that he is still a gourmet. After all, as you know, this cunning giraffe bug eats only leaves that grow on only two types of trees - Dichaetanthera cordifolia and Dichaetanthera arborea. It is on these representatives of the flora that they live, they feed on them, and their baby bugs are born and grow on them. So, in principle, these two trees can be conditionally called the birthplace of the fabulous giraffe beetle.

The content of various bugs as pets is not quite common, but even today it is absolutely not surprising. But with regard to this particular species of insects, due to the fact that their population is relatively very young and has been studied only in in general terms, then the acquisition of such a long-necked friend and comrade is a rather difficult task, one might even say that it is almost impossible.

In the event that fortune turned to face you, and you eventually managed to acquire such a sweetest creature nature, it is perhaps too early to rejoice. The whole problem is that, as we already know, these arthropods are already very demanding on the diet, and these trees, unfortunately, do not grow in our area. Perhaps soon scientists will still find some alternative to the favorite leaves of these insect-like "gerafics", but if you are not going to move to hot Africa, then with the institution of such a pet, it’s still worth waiting a while.

Many, of course, may think that this is not a serious problem, because you can try to give him a variety of leaves, maybe something will appeal to him and then everything will be fine, but do not forget that a completely innocent person may die creature, whose relatives are not very many on our big planet.

Perhaps you are sure that you can provide your little comrade with good nutrition, then you can think about where to put him.

Usually, terrariums or insectariums are used for a comfortable stay of various insects. For a pet like a giraffe beetle, enough space is required so that he can safely walk around his possessions without feeling any oppression.

The approximate dimensions of the insectarium should be approximately 50x50x100 cm.

As for the flooring, finely ground untreated peat may be suitable for it, but it should not be dry. It will also be good to equip his personal apartment with various twigs, branches and pieces of wood or bark. This will allow the landlord to maintain his physical strength and just have some fun sometimes.

In the house of your African giraffe insect, it is necessary to maintain a constant temperature level, which should range from 22 to 28 degrees. An equally important condition is the coefficient of humidity. It is impossible to allow the air to dry out in the bug's housing, so the humidity indicator should not be lower than 70%. To prevent this, it is necessary to carry out daily spraying.

It is extremely difficult to name the price of this giraffe beetle, since it is not available for free sale.

What a giraffe beetle looks like, see this video:

- a species of beetles from the family of pipeworms. It is one of the largest representatives of this family.

photo Pere Soler flickr.com

Habitat

The weevil lives on a relatively limited range - the tropical island of Madagascar, which is located off the east coast of Africa. In the dense forests of Ranomafan, national park islands, you can meet this amazing animal almost everywhere - it has bright color and loves to bask in the sun. Naturally, the very name of the beetle speaks for itself, because the long neck resembles in some ways an artiodactyl giraffe.

Unusual appearance

many males different types animals are different from females. So in this case, the giraffe weevil, namely the male, has a neck much longer than the neck of the female (2-3 times). The head of the beetle is directed forward and smoothly elongated in the form of a tube. The thick "rostrum" widens towards the apex and swells in a hump-like manner at the point of antennae attachment. The eyes are oblong, relatively large, but do not protrude beyond the contours of the head.

photo Ralph Kränzlein flickr.com

The upper half-ring of the chest is cone-shaped, stretched forward. Shoulder tubercles pronounced, elytra wider than anterior dorsum, bright red with micro-striations (about 10). The giraffe weevil has wings and flies well. Its body is naked, not covered with scales, black. The length of the beetle reaches 2.5 cm.

The benefits of uniqueness

The uniqueness of the male helps him in everyday life. The giraffe weevil uses its long neck to fight other males to win the attention of a female. During mating "fights" the male weevil swings his neck against another male in the same way as the spotted giraffe, he tries to knock down his opponent and show his advantage. The male beetle that wins the fight mates with the female and uses its neck to build a home for future offspring.

photo Bernard DUPONT flickr.com

home for posterity

Inside, the larvae develop in leaf tissues that are slowly undergoing processes of decay and fermentation. As soon as small larvae emerge from the eggs, they will immediately have good vegetarian food, as they will be able to eat their nest to get energy and start life. We can say that this barrel house at the same time serves reliable protection for larvae and good food.

Giraffe weevil menu

Like its tall, spotted namesake, this beetle is a herbivore and feeds on the leaves of the trees it inhabits. He especially likes the leaves of Dichaetanthera arborea or Dichaetanthera cordifolia, also known as giraffe weevil trees. Beetles rarely travel far from their green home and food source.

— Despite its somewhat unique appearance, the giraffe weevil is not dangerous to humans. He doesn't bite or sting.

- This is a peaceful insect, it does not show aggression towards other types of beetles and insects.

— Lasiorynchus barbicornis- another beetle that has the name giraffe weevil, but it is from New Zealand and is not a relative of this species.

— Giraffe Weevil (Trachelophorus giraffa) was discovered in 2008 on the island of Madagascar and so far little is known about it. So the researchers have something to work on.

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That's what passion is in nature. It seems that I heard it by ear, but when I saw it, I was still surprised by the natural fantasy :-)

A unique insect that can only be found in Madagascar. Giraffe weevil got this interesting name thanks to its long neck. In the dense forests of Ranomafan, the national park of the island, you can meet these amazing ones almost everywhere - they have a bright color and love to bask in the sun. The long neck is the dignity of males, in females of the weevil the neck is half as long. The body of the bug is black, the elytra are bright red, as a result, it will be quite difficult to pass by this insect and not notice it.

The giraffe weevil (lat. Trachelophorus giraffa) is a kind of “mixture of a bulldog with a rhinoceros” in the world of insects. Of course, this insect has no direct relation to the giraffe. It's just that nature, probably, decided to surprise us a little, and she did it perfectly.

The giraffe weevil got its name because of the very long neck, which sometimes exceeds the length of the beetle's body. This creation of nature lives exclusively on about. Madagascar, in the dense forests of Ranomafana National Park.

So unusual view only males can boast. In females, the neck is 2-3 times shorter. These beetles are the largest representatives of the family of tubeworms (lat. Attelabidae), and not weevils (Curculionidae), based on the name. It’s just that some types of tube runners are outwardly very similar to weevils, but there are still differences. They are in the form of a head, pronotum, legs and antennae.

Spotting this bug is not so difficult. Firstly, most often they like to rest or crawl in open areas or on roadsides, and secondly, they have a bright red-black color. The entire body of the beetle, together with the head and legs, is painted black, but the elytra is a rich red color. Males can reach 2.5 centimeters in length.

But why does he have such a long neck? The answer to this question lies in the process of reproduction of these insects. The female giraffe weevil, like many pipeworms, lays her single egg on a leaf. But the leaf is not simple, but carefully folded by the male into a tube or a kind of "barrel". It was in order to reach out and build a “lullaby” for their future offspring that nature rewarded him with such a long neck.

Well, or there is another option: for fights with rivals for a female.

Giraffe weevil - real gourmet. They use only the leaves of two small trees, Dichaetanthera arborea and Dichaetanthera cordifolia, for food, and they use the same trees for laying eggs.

The Madagascar weevil is the largest of the weevils - it grows to about 25 millimeters in length. Weevils are very fond of a warm climate, so in their free time from searching for food, they prefer to bask in the sun. The giraffe weevil is one of the most unusual inhabitants of not only the island of Madagascar, but also our planet.

Tube-cradles are created not only by "giraffes", but also by many other species of this family, for which it got its name - tube-rollers.

Unique insect giraffe weevil - unusual inhabitant land, a celebrity in the animal world. The beetle gained incredible popularity due to its unusual structure. Abnormally and clumsily, bizarrely bent legs, reminiscent of the structure of the legs of a spider, endowed the insect with an unusual appearance. A long-necked beetle with brightly colored elytra looks like a fantastic alien creature.

This one was discovered in 2008. There is practically no information about him. The range of insects is quite small. However, scientists believe that the population is not endangered and is not on the verge of extinction. natural enemies have not yet been found in the giraffe weevil.

giraffe weevil beetle

Let's describe what the giraffe weevil looks like. The neck of beetles is so long that sometimes it is longer than the body of insects. remark is valid only for males. The necks of females are two to three times shorter. In length, the beetles grow up to 2.5 centimeters.

The beetles are painted in contrasting shades. They have a black body, legs and head, and the elytra shine bright red. Thanks to such a war coloring, it is difficult not to notice them. Especially when they leave the trees, crawl, rest and bask in the sun, getting out to the side of the road or open places.

origin of name

In the mammalian kingdom, there is one long-necked animal - the giraffe. By analogy with it (due to its colossally long neck), the beetle received its original name - the giraffe weevil. Otherwise, there is nothing in common between a giraffe and an insect. Nature just once again surprised humanity with the skill to create incredible things. In Latin, its name sounds like Trachelophorus giraffa.

Distribution area

The homeland of the beetle is the island of Madagascar, located next to east coast Africa. The insect lives on trees, in dense forests, national park Ranomafana. The island is isolated from the mainland ocean waters that prevent the spread of populations. This is how scientists explain the appearance unusual creatures only on its territory.

The giraffe weevil, apparently, like other Madagascar endemics, is not able to overcome water barrier, therefore, it is not found in any other corner of the world. Although there is evidence that a variety of this beetle was found in New Zealand. However, individuals living in Madagascar are much more beautiful and interesting.

Mating season and reproduction

If giraffes need a long neck to pick leaves from trees, then beetles need it for completely different purposes. For males, an elongated neck, in fact, is also a convenient tool for creating a “cradle” for a single cub.

AT mating season the male, as expected, fights with rivals for the right to possess the female. The lady of the heart is patiently waiting for the end of the battle between the applicants. She will have offspring with the winner of the battle. The giraffe weevil never fights to the death.

The male carefully folds the leaf, giving it the shape of a barrel. The female lays only one egg in this tubular nest. Similar cradle barrels are made by other species of beetles belonging to the Attelabidae family. The peculiarity of forming houses for offspring served as the name of the family - tube-rollers. Next, we will talk more about the classification.

Family of tubulars

The giraffe weevil is a member of the tubeworm family. Based on the name of the beetle, it would be logical to include it in the family of weevils. However, it differs from representatives of this family.

And some confusion in the name and classification has arisen due to the fact that weevils are outwardly similar to individual tube-rollers. The giraffe weevil differs from individuals from the family Curculionidae the shape of the head, pronotum, paws and whiskers.

Nutrition Features

In food, the giraffe weevil is very picky and fastidious. It is quite possible to call him a gourmet. Individuals prefer to eat the leaves of two small trees - Dichaetanthera cordifolia and Dichaetanthera arborea, on which most time.

They use the leaves of the same trees to build a house where the females lay their eggs. At first, it is the cradle tube that provides nutrition to the offspring. Females roll barrel houses so that the cubs can get food.