The world's largest animal forces

From a flock of locusts spanning more than 170 km to giant snail troops, large-scale outbreaks of animals often occur when a species grows rampant.

The largest animal legions in the world

Mosquito

Some of the world's largest mosquitoes were discovered in Alaska during the short summer in the Arctic.Currently, there are 35 species of mosquitoes living in Alaska.The number of mosquitoes here is so high that it can form one of the largest migrations of animals.(Photo: Wild Wonders of Europe / Smit / NPL).

Deciduous

In recent years, flocks are so large that they can be detected on radar.In 2014, plankton flocks along the Mississippi River in La Crosse, Wisconsin, USA, are believed to be responsible for car accidents.With the exception of hindering the driver's vision, ephemeral is a harmless species and a sign that the environment is healthy.(Photo: Wild Wonders of Europe / Smit / NPL).

Grasshopper

Big grasshoppers eat crops everywhere they go.Pandas are threatening farms in Asia, Africa, the Middle East and Australia.The largest grasshopper ever recorded is called "Albert's Swarm".In 1875, the man named Albert Child in Nebraska, USA, saw a flock of locusts spread over 170km.It is estimated that this Rocky Mountain grasshopper includes 3.5 trillion children.However, this species suddenly disappeared at the end of the 19th century, when its eggs were destroyed by large-scale reclamation.(Photo: Ingo Arndt / NPL).

Leafworm armyworm

Leaf-eating caterpillars often appear in sub-Saharan Africa, and eat crops on the way.They are moth larvae called African armyworms and are among the most harmful pests for agriculture.The caterpillars eat cereal leaves like corn, rice and wheat.The outbreak of caterpillars is often associated with the rainy season beginning in October. (Photo: Unlimited Visuals / NPL).

Red beaks

The red-billed birds flew in the sky in the countries around the Sahara.This is probably the world's most crowded bird with an estimated 1.5 billion pairs.They are small in shape like sparrows and have a characteristic red beak.The bird eats seeds and cereals, creating a big problem when a herd of millions of birds attack the crop and consume tons of cereals in just one swoop.Therefore, they are also known as "hairy grasshoppers".(Photo: Tony Heald / NPL).

Huge African soil slug

Adult African soil slugs are 20cm long.They are hermaphrodites with both male and female genitals on the body, so each snail can lay thousands of eggs a year.After only 4 years of appearances in the Fiji Islands, 20 tons of snails were collected daily.The favorite food of this snail is cabbage, pumpkin and beans.They also eat rat droppings and can carry parasitic flukes that threaten human health.(Photo: Tony Phelps / NPL).

Jellyfish comb

Transparent jellyfish are difficult to detect living in the waters of eastern South America and North America.They flooded into the Black Sea in the 1980s after entering the ballast chamber of merchant ships.Jellyfish flooded the Black Sea with a peak of 400 fish / m3 of water in 1989 and ate small animals that played the fundamental role of food chains such as plankton, mollusc larvae and fish eggs.(Photo: Nature Production / NPL).

Ant

Originating in western Africa, weaver ants followed the merchant ships to the Christmas Island in the Indian Ocean for the first time in 1930 and destroyed one-third of native red crabs. In 2002, this ant species accounted for 30% of the tropical rainforest area on the island. A 2005 study recorded the highest ants' density of 2,000 heads / m ² .(Photo: Stephen Dalton / NPL).

Mouse

Since 1980, rat pandemic is increasing in Australia.The most severe wave was recorded in 1993 when the rodent damage caused to Victorian and South Australian farmers reached AUD 64.5 million.Female mice can lay an average of 6 animals / month and pups start looking for food after 5 weeks.(Photo: Laurent Geslin / NPL).