Saga Ephippigera - the largest, carnivorous, bush cricket
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Sagas are part of the family Tettigoniidae, commonly called katydids or bush crickets.
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Saga Ephippigera is the largest cricket in the world, and can grow to near 20cm in length
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There are 17 species of Saga across Europe, the Middle East, and central Asia, and one species that made it to America.
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Unlike many other crickets that lay eggs in plant matter, Sagas lay their eggs ~20cm deep in damp soil, they can lay 20 eggs or more at a time. The S. Pedo eggs can survive buried for 4 years before hatching.
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Saga's travel on the ground, though can jump short distances if needed.
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They are mostly active at night and spend the day camouflaged in the growth by their yellow-brown or green colours.
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Their front and middle limbs are barbed to help hold on to prey while they eat it with their powerful jaws
- While crickets generally survive mostly, or completely on plants, Saga's are predators that generally survive on grasshoppers and other insects but have been known to hunt much larger animals, from lizards to snakes, to birds. Here are some photos of one eating a sparrow: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6
(source photos credit: Tzlil Landsman)
(if it isn't already obvious, I am a layperson who just came across a couple of these monsters on holiday, sharing information translated by a friend, apologies for any inaccuracies lol)
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