Time and time again, man has looked to the animal kingdom for labor. Elephants were used as beasts of burden not so long ago. The armies of the Persian Empire, the Indian subcontinent, and Alexander the Great used adult male elephants in their war efforts.
Elephants can carry loads weighing over 500 kg, and humans have taken advantage of that strength to transport heavy loads or plow fields.
People regard elephants as one of Africa’s ‘top five’ wildlife animals, and elephants are popular with tourists. The tourism industry benefits from using elephants as a carriage for visitors. Tourists can enjoy rides on the backs of elephants as they go sightseeing in the jungle. Communities that can manage the elephant population around them safely and humanely can benefit from tourism income.
The European honey bee, also known as the Western honey bee, holds a unique place in history. This insect was domesticated some five millennia ago. To this day, beekeepers maintain this species for honey production and pollination. Thanks to human aid, it now thrives on every continent, Antarctica aside.
The European mantis, commonly known as the praying mantis, displays interesting gender characteristics. Male mantises have larger antennae and eyes than their female counterparts, and they're more agile and active.
The Fruit Fly, specifically the wild type, boasts a yellow-brown body. It's marked by black rings across its abdomen - the characteristic leading to its species name, melanogaster, or "black-bellied." These flies are noted for their distinctive brick-red eyes. Sexual dimorphism is evident as males are marginally smaller, exhibiting darker backs.
The mosquito, an insect with distinguishable scales on its long and slender wings, has a swift lifecycle. In warmer climates, they reach maturity within a mere five days. After a single union with a male, females feed on blood for egg development and repeat this cycle their whole life, which can span a few weeks under the right conditions.
Leaf beetles form a diverse group known for their ovular or rounded bodies. Uniquely, their antennae aren't overly long, and their eyes exhibit no notching. Their exterior displays various aesthetics, from dull hues to bright, patterned displays or metallic tones.
Scarab beetles exhibit usual antennae, ending in three club-shaped plates. These beetles, identifiable by their front legs adapted for digging, come in various sizes, from a diminutive 0.2 inch to a bulky 4.7 inches for some African species.
The Monarch butterfly, famous across North America, is an essential pollinator. Distinguished by vibrant black, orange, and white patterned wings, it's hard to miss.
The Atlas moth inhabits tropical and subtropical rainforests, with a significant presence in Southeast Asia. They have an impressive wingspan of nearly 10 inches and rank among the world's largest moths. Size variations exist between genders, with females tending to be larger.
Periodical cicadas, like clockwork, surface the ground together every 13 or 17 years. These types of bugs keep time quite uniquely, living as nymphs beneath the ground for almost 99.5% of their lives. These nymphs find nourishment in xylem fluids from forest tree root9.
The Wheel Bug is an impressive assassin bug. It's the only one of its kind found in the US. It ranks among North America's largest terrestrial true bugs, sizing up to 1.5 inches.
The American cockroach stands out as the largest among common cockroach species. With a reddish-brown hue and a yellowish margin, it measures around 1.6 inches in length. This insect undergoes 6-14 molts, often 13, and lives about 700 days - the longest life cycle in its class5.
Dragonflies are predatory insects that thrive on every continent except Antarctica. They start their lives as aquatic nymphs, a stage that lasts up to five years in some species. After maturing, they may fly for about ten weeks but often live just five weeks or less, depending on the species.
Damselflies, easily confused with dragonflies, hold a distinct place in the world of odonates. Their slim bodies and resting posture, wings folded together over their back, set them apart from dragonflies.
Yellow jackets are a common sight in the Northern Hemisphere. Naming them is a bit deceiving, given not all bear yellow and black markings. Instead, some display white, black, or even red patterns. Distinctive from other wasps, they settle in rest by folding their wings lengthwise.
Crickets are small to medium-sized insects with cylindrical bodies that are somewhat vertically flattened. They possess spherical heads and are characterized by long antennae and large compound eyes. Depending on the species, their wings can be small or absent and lie flat on the body.
Dobsonflies, typically large, span several continents from North to South America to Australia, Asia, and Africa. Possessing four similarly sized, net-veined wings, which vary from grayish to translucent among species, these insects belong to nine recognized genera.
Found worldwide except Antarctica, termites' species diversity peaks in South America. Misconstrued as "wood ants" or "white ants" in older texts, they are not actually ants.
