Native to desert habitats in Southern California, the diabolical ironclad beetle has an exoskeleton that's one of the toughest, most crush-resistant structures known to exist in the animal kingdom.
Microstructures in the beetle's armor make it nearly impossible to squish. The diabolical ironclad beetle looks sort of like a rock — and it's almost as unbreakable. Thanks to the intricate connections between different parts of the insect's exoskeleton, this hardy beetle can withstand getting run over by a car.
Dung Beetles
Not only are these pests strong, but like cockroaches, they are incredibly durable. Dung beetles can be found in nearly every habitat, including deserts, farmlands, forests, savannas, and mountainous regions.
Ants are not nearly as strong as dung beetles, but they can also do some impressive work. If you've ever seen an ant colony at work, you know that ants can carry leaves, rocks, and other materials much bigger than themselves. Ants have been known to carry objects up to 50 times their own body weight.
Australian tiger beetles, genus Cicindela, subgenus Rivacindela, (Coleoptera: Cicindelidae) are the fastest running insects known. The fastest, Cicindela hudsoni, can run 2.5 meters per second (5.6 miles per hour). Throughout time, races have been run in order to decide who or what is the fastest of its kind.
The World Health Organization also advises against crushing them, for reasons of hygiene. According to the body, which classes cockroaches as “unhygienic scavengers in human settlements”, squashing them can spread bacteria into the environment that can lead to asthma, allergies and illnesses.
When it comes to germs, both of these pests carry plenty around. However, flies tend to have twice as many germs as cockroaches, which makes them an even bigger health hazard at dining establishments.
The diabolical ironclad beetle is one tough critter, as its name might suggest. Equipped with super-tough body armour, the insect can survive being stamped on or even run over by a car. Now scientists have investigated the secrets of how the beetle can withstand forces up to 39,000 times its body weight.
Mosquitoes
It's no surprise that mosquitoes were voted the most hated insect by 12.2% of participants. They were also voted the least popular insect in four states. Mosquitoes can cause numerous problems, from spoiling a backyard barbecue to spreading dangerous diseases like West Nile virus.
The Lord Howe Island Phasmid or Land Lobster, Dryococelus australis, may be the rarest insect in the world and is possibly also the rarest invertebrate.
Bonus–The Laziest Insect in the World: Zoologger
It's one thing to snooze most of the day away and only expend enough energy to feed. It's quite another to freeload at someone else's expense! That's exactly what the Zoologger beetle does, a recently discovered species native to Cambodia.
The Giant Wētā is the world's heaviest insect in terms of weight, which at 71g is three times that of a mouse and heavier than a sparrow. A female Giant Weta ( Deinacrida heteracantha) filled with eggs can reach up to in excess of 70g and the largest of the species are found on Little Barrier Island.
The answer is a clear no, notwithstanding being “insectes extraordinaire” unlike fruit flies, flower beetles and scorpions, the roaches cannot endure Nuclear Armageddon much against the common perception at large.
Cockroaches carry a host of diseases
If you touch a cockroach, you risk becoming infected with some serious diseases, including bacteria that cause dysentery. According to the World Health Organization, cockroaches commonly transmit these diseases to humans: Salmonellosis. Typhoid Fever.
The longest is the Hercules beetle, Dynastes hercules, with a maximum overall length of at least 18.1 cm (7.1 in) including the very long pronotal horn.
A queen ant Lasius niger (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) has the longest recorded adult life of any insect: 28¾ years in captivity.
Tiger beetles often have large bulging eyes, long, slender legs and large curved mandibles. All are predatory, both as adults and as larvae. The genus Cicindela has a cosmopolitan distribution. Other well-known genera include Tetracha, Omus, Amblycheila and Manticora.
They are both highly aggressive creatures, so a prolonged fight could be brutal. Even then, the lion would probably come out on top, making up for its relative lack of stamina with sheer power. A lion has a good chance of killing a gorilla in a one-on-one fight. The only thing is that a lion rarely fights alone.