Flying bulldog: World’s largest bee Megachile pluto, the size of a human thumb, rediscovered in Indonesia
New Delhi : The world's largest bee, almost of human thumb size, has been rediscovered in Indonesia. The giant insect has been seen almost after 40 years, said the researchers on Thursday.
Wallace’s giant bee was discovered in the 19th century by British naturalist Alfred Russel Wallace; he had nicknamed it as “flying bulldog”.
“To actually see how beautiful and big the species is in life, to hear the sound of its giant wings... was just incredible,” said Clay Bolt, a specialist bee photographer who snapped the enormous insect.
“My dream is now to elevate this bee to a symbol of conservation in this part of Indonesia, a point of pride for the locals there.”
BREAKING: Lost to science since 1981 and thought by some to be extinct, Wallace's giant bee (Megachile pluto) has been rediscovered in Indonesia by an international team of scientists and conservationists. pic.twitter.com/VoDp43LRG2
— Australian Academy of Science (@Science_Academy) February 21, 2019
The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species lists the bee as “vulnerable”, meaning that while its numbers are relatively solid, the remoteness of its population makes it hard to study.
