Found bumblebees have huge teeth

A bumblebee was a male with huge teeth that, when opened, were even longer than its front legs, newly discovered on Sulawesi Island (Indonesia).

The researchers liken this shiny black beetle to about 6.4cm in size as the 'Komodo dragon' of the bee family.

'His jaw is so big that it covers his head when closed and longer than his leg before opening. I really don't understand how it can go, 'said Lynn Kimsey, director of the Bohard of Entomology museum of the University of California.

Males are bigger than females. (Photo: Livescience)

The giant jaws work to both defend and 'prove' the masculinity with female bees to be allowed to mate, researchers speculate.

'We really don't know this male bee's giant jaw effect. However, in some other bees, males hang themselves at the entrance to the nest to protect the nest from parasites and robbery. Male bees are then rewarded with bees for a mating whenever the female returns to the nest. Thus, it can be said that the function is an indirect tool to be a way to ensure the development of the race. In addition, the jaws of male bees need to be big enough to be able to embrace the bees when mating, ' said Kimsey.

Ms. Kimsey has discovered bees and bees painted on the Mekongga Mountains in southeastern Sulawesi during a recent biodiversity expedition. The expedition was sponsored by the International Biodiversity Partnership Program.