Gigantic Bugs in Southern California

SloppyElvis writes "...and this time, Silicon Valley didn't create them. ;P CNN picked up this AP story about new species discovered in S.Cal. The most suprising news is this discovery came in such a densely-populated area. Beware, monstrous unknown creatures may be lurking in your backyard!"

Giant bugs from California?

[quantaman]

Somehow I'm forced to wonder if this 13 inch bug isn't native to California. In order to be a species it needs something to mate with and if people havn't been seeing 13 inch bugs before I would think that other bugs might have the same problem. In other words this isn't a species from around here. I suspect this species probably originates from some jungle and this one just escaped from its cage. Either that or its the vangaurd of a massive Alien invasion and soon legions of these are going to overwhelming our species. Alien invasion or South American pet? Take your pick.

Re:Pest control companies

[HorsePunchKid]

Your comment on the scientists is unwarranted. The article is poorly written, implying several times that scientists had never seen this insect in southern California before. On the contrary, the insect's presence in the area is well known and documented. The interesting (though not so exciting) news is that there are a number of different species of Jerusalem cricket [sdnhm.org], and that the adults of one of the species are significantly larger than those of other species, making it the largest insect (by mass).

Satan's spawn

[trailerparkcassanova]

There's nothing new here as these are known as Potato Bugs. They're also the most repulsive and disgusting creatures on the planet. Checkout www.potatobugs.com