Ferruginous tiger crane fly
Nephrotoma ferruginea
The ferruginous tiger crane fly is a large crane fly with a slim body and very long, thin legs. It looks like a giant mosquito, but it is completely harmless.
Lives in
North America
Can it hurt you?
Harmless
Harmless. Crane flies cannot bite or sting.
What does it eat?
Crane fly larvae live in the soil and eat roots and rotting plants.
How fast is it?
A person walking about 5 km/h (3.1 mph)
Ferruginous tiger crane fly about 5 km/h (3.1 mph)
A kid running fast about 13 km/h (8.1 mph)
A grown-up on a bike about 25 km/h (16 mph)
cool stuff
Fun facts
1
It was first described by the scientist Fabricius in 1805.
2
Its long, thin legs break off easily, so be very gentle if one lands on you.
3
Like all flies, it has only two wings. Behind them are two tiny knobs that help it balance.
you asked
Most asked questions about Ferruginous tiger crane fly
?Does the ferruginous tiger crane fly bite?
No. Crane flies cannot bite or sting.
?Is a crane fly a giant mosquito?
No. It only looks like one. Crane flies do not drink blood.
For bug experts
- Scientific name
- Nephrotoma ferruginea
- Named by
- Fabricius, 1805
- Group
- Flies and mosquitoes
- Family
- Tipulidae
- Classification
- Insecta > Diptera > Tipulidae
- Lives on
- North America
Where the facts come from
- Nephrotoma ferruginea (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0): what it looks like, where it lives, what it eats, sizes and fun facts, retold in simple words.
- Picture by Javier Virués Ortega. CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons. The sticker of this bug is drawn from this picture.
If we got something wrong, sorry, we are bug fans, not a science journal. Tell us at [email protected] and we will fix it.
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