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A number of times now in Trinidad, Bolivia I have been attacked by giant flying beetles. The first time was so shocking I couldn't get a photo of the monster that came at me. Recently I got off one shot with a credit card-sized comparison for scale. I've seen bigger ones but I couldn't get photos as yet. This shot doesn't do justice to the thing that bashed into my arm and fell on the ground beside me. I tried to move him into better light for a snap shot, but he was uncooperative: he bit my shoe.
I don't mean like a spider or a bee. His head is about half the size of his whole piece, and he opened up like a Volkswagon, his head hinging from the neck half-way, and he got hold of the toe of my shoe and wouldn't-- maybe couldn't-- let go. I had to eventually bang him on the pavement to get him loose.
If the following isn't the same thing, he's a close relative:
The titan beetle (Titanus giganteus) is the largest known beetle in the Amazon rain forest and one of the largest insect species in the world. It typically lives in the rain forests of Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, the Guianas and north-central Brazil. Adult titan beetles can grow up to 6.5 inches in length. They defend themselves against predators by using their sharp spines and strong jaws. It is said that their mandibles can snap pencils in half and cut into human flesh.http://newsdesk.si.edu/snapshot/titan-beetle
These things are thick in the air at night. They bite.
