Recently, there have been videos shared on social media claiming that the Malaysian rainforests are home to the largest known species of crickets in the world. Is this true?
VERDICT:
FALSE
Videos circulating on social media lately depicting a giant cricket-like insect roughly the size of an average human palm do not show a cricket as claimed, but actually a katydid (Arachnacris corporalis).
There had been much speculation about the Katydid sightings, with some claiming that it was a cricket, while others claimed that it was part of the grasshopper family tree.
The confusion is well justified, as reports have said that the Katydid are also well-known as "bush crickets", or "long-horned grasshoppers".
The Giant Malaysian Katydid is a species of carnivorous giant katydid native to Malaysia and while they are neither crickets or grasshoppers, the katydid is deemed to be a "cousin" of the cricket family.
It is one of the largest insects in the known world, as they grow to an impressive 15cm with a 25cm wingspan. Males of this species have the largest testes of any known animal, with them making up 14% of their overall body weight, which is equivalent to a 91kg man having ones that weigh almost 13kg.
That said, the title of "biggest cricket in the world" belongs to The Giant Weta, which is also the heaviest insect in the world.
Indigenous to New Zealand, the giant weta is protected by law in the country because they are considered to be at risk of extinction. It gained worldwide attention when it was discovered that a female giant weta weighed in at an impressive 70g.
The giant weta is only found on Little Barrier Island in New Zealand, although there are 70 other types of smaller weta found throughout the country. It gained the title of "largest insect ever recorded" when it was photographed by renowned entomologist Mark Moffett, who found the amazing bug after two days of searching.
SOURCES:
https://allspecies.fandom.com/wiki/Giant_Malaysian_Katydid?file=Giant_Malaysian_Katydids_Unveiled
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/giant-weta-worlds-largest-insect_n_1126475
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/00779962.2012.686318?scroll=top&needAccess=true
