Thursday Invertebrate Blogging: Crane Fly

It’s Thursday, your camera is on the blink, you’re miles from your home in a strange city, and hundreds of eager readers are anxiously awaiting this week’s installment of Invertebrate Blogging.

What to do?

Fortunately for me, fate intervened and I stumbled across this crane fly on my way into work this morning and snapped a quick pic with my cellphone camera.

Crane flies are often mistaken for gargantuan mosquitoes that could drain your blood in a matter of minutes. In fact, adult crane flies don't feed at all. You've probably had one of these suckers flying around in your tent or house at one time or another. Now when one of your friends says "you know, those big mosquitoes are actually the males," you can say "you idiot, that's a crane fly.

At least I think it's a crane fly. It could be something else. What am I, an entomologist?

Comments

[Les Jones]

If it looks like a gigantic mosquito, it's a crane fly. They're attracted to light, so you'll see them around porch lights at night.

[rachel]

Crane fly. I'll remember that, thanks!

On an unrelated note, did you see last night's debate? Thoughts? I missed it, I was out w/friends being an irresponsible citizen...