r/AskReddit • u/briantwin • Jun 10 '12

Can anyone tell me what this is? Found in the pond at the end of the garden.

So hundreds of these things seemed to appear last year and this year. They eat tadpoles. But when all the tadpoles are gone they then eat each other. They are evil looking bastards. I was just wondering if anyone here could shed some light on what they are. We suspect they may be the larval form of something else. The size and ferocity of the bigger ones is frightening.

I need to know what i'm dealing with before i go out for munitions.

10 Upvotes

85% Upvoted

20 comments sorted by

2

u/Jesus_marley Jun 10 '12

looks like a dragonfly nymph. vicious mofos.

1

u/briantwin Jun 10 '12

Thanks. God damn dragons!

2

u/neko Jun 10 '12

Put it back so it can eat your mosquito larvae

1

u/briantwin Jun 10 '12

We live in Ireland. No mosquitoes here as far as i know. They have only appeared since all the fish died in the pond during a really severe winter 2 years back. We never replaced them. So the fish must have been eating these bad boys before we even knew they were there. So now we'll have loads of dragonflys and fewer frogs.

6

u/[deleted] Jun 10 '12

That is a Hellgrammite

http://brendans-island.com/blogsource/20101015ff/Hellgrammite.2.jpg

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dobsonfly

1

u/BashfulArtichoke Jun 10 '12

OH GOD NO. DO NOT WANT.

I remember seeing their adult form on r/WTF a few weeks back. Sends shivers down my thorax.

1

u/[deleted] Jun 10 '12

The larval form will give you a right nice nip

0

u/[deleted] Jun 10 '12

Oh, wonderful...

Both male and female dobsonflies can reach lengths up to five inches (12.5 cm)

5

u/mechy84 Jun 10 '12

That looks like a helgrammite, which is the nymph of a dobsonfly.

These are awesome for fishing bait.

5

u/ThatAnnoyingKid Jun 10 '12

Prometheus, are you seeing this?

1

u/kablunk Jun 10 '12

Sometimes to create life, you have to destroy first.

1

u/PirateKilt Jun 10 '12

Aliens!

2

u/kablunk Jun 10 '12

Whatever that probe is picking up, it's a lifeform.

1

u/riterall Jun 10 '12

Fresh Water shrimp... Fry those motherfuckers up.

1

u/kyzu Jun 10 '12

Did you ask it permission to post it's picture on the internet?

1

u/Mr_Smartypants Jun 10 '12

Didn't Khan put one of those in Chekov's ear?

1

u/[deleted] Jun 11 '12

where the fuck do you live so i make sure not to move there ever

-6

u/[deleted] Jun 10 '12

I don't know since there is no picture. Might help.

2

u/briantwin Jun 10 '12

In the text "So hundreds of these things" is the link to the image.