# If insects were the size of other big mammals, which would be the most dangerous? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 29, 2011, 4:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-insects-were-the-size-of-other-big-mammals-which-would-be-the-most-dangerous/594468 "2011-08-29T04:56:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Brandus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/898d66/32.png) [@Brandus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Brandus)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2011, 1:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-insects-were-the-size-of-other-big-mammals-which-would-be-the-most-dangerous/594468/21 "2011-08-29T13:15:04Z")
Army ants thoroughly dominate their biome already, if they were larger their territory would extend hundreds of miles. They’re just ultra efficient life destroyers. ---
**Author:** ![Sailboat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sailboat/32/461_2.png) [@Sailboat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sailboat)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2011, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-insects-were-the-size-of-other-big-mammals-which-would-be-the-most-dangerous/594468/22 "2011-08-29T14:04:26Z")
Yeah, I’m going with Them. Mainly because there’s not really such a thing as ONE ant. the entire colony. After that? Maybe the mosquito – they _already_ kill more humans than any other insect and they’re tiny. But I agree that centipedes and parasitic wasps like the cicada-killer wasp would also be terrifying. ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2011, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-insects-were-the-size-of-other-big-mammals-which-would-be-the-most-dangerous/594468/23 "2011-08-29T14:10:32Z")
> [@Sailboat](#): > > After that? Maybe the mosquito – they _already_ kill more humans than any other insect and they’re tiny. More than any other insect. More than any other anything. Even humans do not kill as many humans as the mosquito. By far the biggest mass murderer on the planet. ---
**Author:** ![yabob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yabob/32/2821_2.png) [@yabob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yabob)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2011, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-insects-were-the-size-of-other-big-mammals-which-would-be-the-most-dangerous/594468/24 "2011-08-29T14:16:07Z")
Imagine a hellgrammite the size of a bus: [http://www.cals.ncsu.edu/course/ent525/water/aquatic/pages/14\_jpg.htm](http://www.cals.ncsu.edu/course/ent525/water/aquatic/pages/14_jpg.htm) Just when you thought it was safe to go in the water again … They already pinch painfully at their current size of a couple inches, and they are aggressive predators. They are larva, of course, and we would also want to consider the super-sized adult dobson fly it would become: [http://www.fcps.edu/islandcreekes/ecology/dobsonfly.htm](http://www.fcps.edu/islandcreekes/ecology/dobsonfly.htm) ---
**Author:** ![Malthus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/85f322/32.png) [@Malthus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malthus)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2011, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-insects-were-the-size-of-other-big-mammals-which-would-be-the-most-dangerous/594468/25 "2011-08-29T14:20:54Z")
Depends if you mean individual or collective. The parasitic-type wasps are mostly solitary or live in small colonies. Terrifying individually, but for a true threat, I’m going with the army ant. The only reason they don’t eat people regularly now is that we are so much larger and can get out of their way … ---
**Author:** ![D\_Odds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/d_odds/32/2882_2.png) [@D\_Odds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Odds)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2011, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-insects-were-the-size-of-other-big-mammals-which-would-be-the-most-dangerous/594468/26 "2011-08-29T14:21:51Z")
> [@Whack-a-Mole](#): > > More than any other insect. More than any other anything. > > Even humans do not kill as many humans as the mosquito. > > By far the biggest mass murderer on the planet. Isn’t the term mass-murderer used to designate a single being, or perhaps the leader behind an organized effort (e.g. Hitler, Stalin, Pol Pot, _et al_)? A single mosquito may, at best, kill maybe a couple of dozen people, if that. And there is no organized effort, to the best of my knowledge, on their part. That said, if it is organized, they can claim that they are fighting a war against humans, thus the killings are defensive and do not qualify as mass murder. Of course, as we (humans) are winning the war and will get to write the history, best to demonize the opposition with terms like mass murder. ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2011, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-insects-were-the-size-of-other-big-mammals-which-would-be-the-most-dangerous/594468/27 "2011-08-29T14:24:59Z")
> [@Whack-a-Mole](#): > > More than any other insect. More than any other anything. > > Even humans do not kill as many humans as the mosquito. > > By far the biggest mass murderer on the planet. If they were bigger it’d be something [like this](http://www.pbase.com/jbarnes/image/77784388). 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2011, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-insects-were-the-size-of-other-big-mammals-which-would-be-the-most-dangerous/594468/28 "2011-08-29T14:27:08Z")
> [@D\_Odds](#): > > Isn’t the term mass-murderer used to designate a single being, or perhaps the leader behind an organized effort (e.g. Hitler, Stalin, Pol Pot, _et al_)? A single mosquito may, at best, kill maybe a couple of dozen people, if that. And there is no organized effort, to the best of my knowledge, on their part. That said, if it is organized, they can claim that they are fighting a war against humans, thus the killings are defensive and do not qualify as mass murder. Of course, as we (humans) are winning the war and will get to write the history, best to demonize the opposition with terms like mass murder. Fair enough. My point was, if you are sitting with some friends and trying to guess what creature is the most dangerous thing to humans on the planet, the mosquito wins by a landslide. They kill faaaar more humans than any other creature on the planet. Nothing else comes close. If they were bigger see my last post. ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2011, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-insects-were-the-size-of-other-big-mammals-which-would-be-the-most-dangerous/594468/29 "2011-08-29T14:53:20Z")
> [@Whack-a-Mole](#): > > If they were bigger it’d be something [like this](http://www.pbase.com/jbarnes/image/77784388). 😃 I see they’re vacationing in Minnesota. ---
**Author:** ![shijinn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cc9497/32.png) [@shijinn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shijinn)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2011, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-insects-were-the-size-of-other-big-mammals-which-would-be-the-most-dangerous/594468/30 "2011-08-29T14:54:47Z")
mosquitoes are so boring though, the opportunistic bloodsuckers are only dangerous because they don’t brush after each meal. how about bedbugs? every breath you take is a huge “Please feast on me!” sign. ---
**Author:** ![D\_Odds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/d_odds/32/2882_2.png) [@D\_Odds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Odds)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2011, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-insects-were-the-size-of-other-big-mammals-which-would-be-the-most-dangerous/594468/31 "2011-08-29T15:03:17Z")
> [@Whack-a-Mole](#): > > If they were bigger see my last post. Many, many moons ago, when I was in the Everglades, I swore that there were some mosquitoes that needed FAA clearance. Scale them up to the point where they are the same size as a stealth bomber, getting bitten would be akin to getting skewered by giant swordfish. Disease would no longer be a factor. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2011, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-insects-were-the-size-of-other-big-mammals-which-would-be-the-most-dangerous/594468/32 "2011-08-29T15:59:03Z")
> [@Boyo\_Jim](#): > > The praying mantis, IMO, is already pretty scary. One stabbed me and drew blood, little motherfucker! > > There might be some that have poisons that would make them more dangerous, but for just plain power and aggression and speed, it’s got my vote. Seonded. This thread o’ mine might be of interest: [Just how big can my race of giant, sentient praying mantises be? - Factual Questions - Straight Dope Message Board](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=392004) ---
**Author:** ![RoeCocoa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/7feea3/32.png) [@RoeCocoa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RoeCocoa)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2011, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-insects-were-the-size-of-other-big-mammals-which-would-be-the-most-dangerous/594468/33 "2011-08-29T16:42:20Z")
> [@Incubus](#): > > So if insects were scaled-up (ignoring the physical limitations of exoskeletons here) to the size of other mammals, with the largest insects being comparable in size to the largest land mammals (so say a Goliath Beetle is the size of an elephant), what would be particularly dangerous to us **as a species**? As a species, human beings are really good at avoiding and/or defending ourselves against predators-- I’m having trouble thinking of a large mammal that preys on humans but isn’t threatened, endangered, or extinct. Wasps and mosquitoes use their small size to their advantage; large predatory insects would be less agile (if they could fly at all). We could bait them with cattle and hunt them to extinction with a limited number of human casualties. But what happens to us if giant caterpillars kill all or nearly all of the plants? Worldwide ecological collapse. Mass starvation. A silent, gray world covered in a uniform layer of silk. I’ll take a relatively quick death by parasitic wasp, thankyouverymuch. ---
**Author:** ![naita](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/naita/32/5862_2.png) [@naita](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/naita)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2011, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-insects-were-the-size-of-other-big-mammals-which-would-be-the-most-dangerous/594468/34 "2011-08-29T16:52:27Z")
> [@EvilTOJ](#): > > He already said in the OP ‘we know it’s not possible to get such large bugs, just ignore that part’. If we ignore the physics and biology that prevents insects from growing larger, any discussion of the physical or biological features that would make the supersized insects dangerous (or not) will be completely random. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2011, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-insects-were-the-size-of-other-big-mammals-which-would-be-the-most-dangerous/594468/35 "2011-08-29T16:58:37Z")
> [@naita](#): > > If we ignore the physics and biology that prevents insects from growing larger, any discussion of the physical or biological features that would make the supersized insects dangerous (or not) will be completely random. That’s crazy talk. Giant bees with giant stingers, giant ants with giant pincers, etc. What is the ‘random’? We’re just talking about as-is but upscaled to unrealistic sizes. ---
**Author:** ![naita](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/naita/32/5862_2.png) [@naita](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/naita)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2011, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-insects-were-the-size-of-other-big-mammals-which-would-be-the-most-dangerous/594468/36 "2011-08-29T17:17:40Z")
> [@Boyo\_Jim](#): > > That’s crazy talk. Giant bees with giant stingers, giant ants with giant pincers, etc. > > What is the ‘random’? We’re just talking about as-is but upscaled to unrealistic sizes. If we “just” upscale insects they become insanely powerful. An ant scaled up to weigh the same as a lion would be able to **carry** 50 times its own weight, or 7.5 tons. Assuming that’s the scaling factor we want to use, and the only thing that makes it non-random is the old “carry 50 times its weight” fun fact. As to the strength of its pincers I’ve no idea what a non-random choice of scaling factor would be. An increase proportional to weight? Size? ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2011, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-insects-were-the-size-of-other-big-mammals-which-would-be-the-most-dangerous/594468/37 "2011-08-29T17:30:52Z")
Perhaps it would be simpler, instead of scaling them up, to scale ourselves down? What would be most threatening to a human the size of an ant? ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2011, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-insects-were-the-size-of-other-big-mammals-which-would-be-the-most-dangerous/594468/38 "2011-08-29T17:35:50Z")
Murray Leinster’s 1954 novel _The Forgotten Planet_ has the basic situation of people living on a planet inhabited by (impossibly) large insects, arthropods, and the like (their ancestors crash-landed on the planet). Life is extremely hazardous because of the large insects. Ants are about the size of barbells, and aren’t a problem individually. Everything else is in scale. Mantises are bad, but the worst thing, overall, in his ecosystem is the millipede. That’s surprising to me, since the millipedes (even the large ones) I’m familiar with are vegetarians, although there apparently are carnivores and omnivores. In his novel, this was the one species you _had_ to avoid. > **[The Forgotten Planet](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Forgotten_Planet)** > > The Forgotten Planet is a science fiction novel by American writer Murray Leinster. It was released in 1954 by Gnome Press in an edition of 5,000 copies. The novel is a fix-up from three short stories, "The Mad Planet" and "The Red Dust", both of which had originally appeared in the magazine Argosy in 1920 and 1921, and "Nightmare Planet", which had been published in Science Fiction Plus in 1953. > A planet had been seeded for life by humans, first with microbes and later with plants and insects.... [![](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51PUoXw4VlL.jpg) ](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51PUoXw4VlL.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![Clothahump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/51bf81/32.png) [@Clothahump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Clothahump)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2011, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-insects-were-the-size-of-other-big-mammals-which-would-be-the-most-dangerous/594468/39 "2011-08-29T18:13:10Z")
> [@brocks](#): > > Great, another Bachmann fan. Lame. Epic Fail on your part. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-insects-were-the-size-of-other-big-mammals-which-would-be-the-most-dangerous/594468.md?page=1)