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Description
Islands are fairly named as “hearth of evolution”. Here there is a fastest rate of new species formation, and here life gets the most fantastical forms.
As a rule, at the islands never been a part of continent, the fauna consists of species able to flight, or lost this ability already after island settling. At islands there are no representatives of many groups of animals and plants, characteristic for continents. And at islands there are many free ecological niches which sometimes are occupied with species completely unexpected in this role. At islands of Pacific Ocean the place of small predators was occupied with the huge representative of insects - the distant relative of common grasshoppers, the saw-legged dragon grasshopper.
On contrary to popular belief, the significant part of grasshoppers is predators (and herbivorous locusts belong to other family). The saw-legged dragon grasshopper is the huge representative of grasshoppers: the length of its body reaches 20 cm, and because of long antennae and wings he seems even larger. Among the impoverished fauna of islands it occupies an ecological niche of small predators, attacking large insects and small vertebrates - birds and rodents. This species also eats carrion: after storm or during outflow saw-legged dragon grasshoppers wander along ocean coast, eating dead sea animals or gathering inhabitants of the ocean has got in pools at the coast.
Adaptation to predating is visible in appearance of insect: forward legs of saw-legged grasshopper are very long (they are equal to back legs by length), on their internal side there are sharp thorns: this is the adaptation for catch seizing. Powerful mandibles of insect easily crush both armour of beetle, and bones of small vertebrates. Frequently saw-legged dragon grasshopper swarms up trees searching for bird nests: it equally willingly eats eggs and nestlings of small species of birds.
Back legs of this insect as at the majority of representatives of order, are rather long, but because of large weight this insect is not able to hop. But this huge grasshopper swarms up trees well: on its paws tenacious claws, permitting to heavy insect to cling to slightest jogs of bark, are advanced.
On large head of saw-legged dragon grasshopper there is a plenty of knobs and outgrowths especially advanced at males. They give to this insects fantastical appearance, and serve for tournament fights in breeding season. antennae of saw-legged dragon grasshoppers are very long too: they are equal to body by length. On thorax at males two bent horns are advanced sticking up upwards and in sides.
Colouring of this insect quietly sitting on tree seems modest: body is gray-brown with small black speckles. The brightest part of body of saw-legged dragon grasshopper, the back pair of wings, at this moment is latent. But during courtship duels or at caring for the female males open them, showing bright pattern: black “grid” of nerves on yellow background; near the basement of wing there is big red spot. Top wings of insect are reddish-brown with grey cross strips, on edge nerves the sound device is advanced: a line of tiny denticles. During chirring the insect rubs one wing against another, uttering sounds heard at the distance of one hundred meters.
Despite of size, this insect is able to fly, and even can make distant flights between islands, especially at good fair wind. Such way saw-legged dragon grasshoppers had settled practically at all in slightest degree suitable for life islands in tropical zone of Pacific Ocean. The unique limiting factor for them is the presence of fresh water. But at small islands these insects find enough moisture in puddles accumulating after rain in bases of palm leaf petioles.
These large insects can breed all the year round. The female differs from the male with fuller abdomen, long saber-like ovipositor and pale colouring of wings. Males find females ready to breeding by smell. During acquaintance male creeps up to the female from the side of head, widely opening and planting in sides bright wings. Thus it moves by antennae, touching by them to antennae of the female. When the female reciprocates, male closes wings and starts to chirr loudly, rubbing one wing against another. Thus it declares the rights on the female. If near one female some males gather, they begin original “tournament” in which the strongest one is displaying. Males up to the last moment avoid to enter direct collision which can be finished by death of one of them, and superiority is defined by loudness of chirring and brightness of coloring of wings. Males start to chirr, to short time interrupting warbles with demonstration of unwrapped wings. Weaker males at once leave a place of competitions, and gradually near the female only one or two contenders stay. If it is impossible to define the strongest one in the peace way, and not any male wish to concede, between them fight is possible. Strong forward legs are in use, with which contenders grip each other by bases of antennae and try to push aside from the female. Fight is accompanied with menacing chirring and demonstration of opened wings.
Pairing lasts not for long, then the male loses interest to the female and crawls out. With the help of long ovipositor female places portion of two - three tens large eggs in friable, well warmed up ground, and does not care any more about them. For all life she can make up to ten clutches.
All orthopters are insects with incomplete metamorphosis: from eggs larvae similar to an adult insect excluse. Young saw-legged dragon grasshoppers about 5 millimeters long eat different delicate insects - plant lice and tiny caterpillars. At half-year age they grow up to the size of adult insect, and become able to breeding. At the lack of forage they will turn to “scanty” ones with thin long body and wide wings. Such individuals fly perfectly, and easily move from island to another one searching of favorable conditions for life.

It is animal of neocene. Look in [[link] ]
We are need for more painters (sorry of my english ). All comers - Welcome!

Description
Islands are fairly named as “hearth of evolution”. Here there is a fastest rate of new species formation, and here life gets the most fantastical forms.
As a rule, at the islands never been a part of continent, the fauna consists of species able to flight, or lost this ability already after island settling. At islands there are no representatives of many groups of animals and plants, characteristic for continents. And at islands there are many free ecological niches which sometimes are occupied with species completely unexpected in this role. At islands of Pacific Ocean the place of small predators was occupied with the huge representative of insects - the distant relative of common grasshoppers, the saw-legged dragon grasshopper.
On contrary to popular belief, the significant part of grasshoppers is predators (and herbivorous locusts belong to other family). The saw-legged dragon grasshopper is the huge representative of grasshoppers: the length of its body reaches 20 cm, and because of long antennae and wings he seems even larger. Among the impoverished fauna of islands it occupies an ecological niche of small predators, attacking large insects and small vertebrates - birds and rodents. This species also eats carrion: after storm or during outflow saw-legged dragon grasshoppers wander along ocean coast, eating dead sea animals or gathering inhabitants of the ocean has got in pools at the coast.
Adaptation to predating is visible in appearance of insect: forward legs of saw-legged grasshopper are very long (they are equal to back legs by length), on their internal side there are sharp thorns: this is the adaptation for catch seizing. Powerful mandibles of insect easily crush both armour of beetle, and bones of small vertebrates. Frequently saw-legged dragon grasshopper swarms up trees searching for bird nests: it equally willingly eats eggs and nestlings of small species of birds.
Back legs of this insect as at the majority of representatives of order, are rather long, but because of large weight this insect is not able to hop. But this huge grasshopper swarms up trees well: on its paws tenacious claws, permitting to heavy insect to cling to slightest jogs of bark, are advanced.
On large head of saw-legged dragon grasshopper there is a plenty of knobs and outgrowths especially advanced at males. They give to this insects fantastical appearance, and serve for tournament fights in breeding season. antennae of saw-legged dragon grasshoppers are very long too: they are equal to body by length. On thorax at males two bent horns are advanced sticking up upwards and in sides.
Colouring of this insect quietly sitting on tree seems modest: body is gray-brown with small black speckles. The brightest part of body of saw-legged dragon grasshopper, the back pair of wings, at this moment is latent. But during courtship duels or at caring for the female males open them, showing bright pattern: black “grid” of nerves on yellow background; near the basement of wing there is big red spot. Top wings of insect are reddish-brown with grey cross strips, on edge nerves the sound device is advanced: a line of tiny denticles. During chirring the insect rubs one wing against another, uttering sounds heard at the distance of one hundred meters.
Despite of size, this insect is able to fly, and even can make distant flights between islands, especially at good fair wind. Such way saw-legged dragon grasshoppers had settled practically at all in slightest degree suitable for life islands in tropical zone of Pacific Ocean. The unique limiting factor for them is the presence of fresh water. But at small islands these insects find enough moisture in puddles accumulating after rain in bases of palm leaf petioles.
These large insects can breed all the year round. The female differs from the male with fuller abdomen, long saber-like ovipositor and pale colouring of wings. Males find females ready to breeding by smell. During acquaintance male creeps up to the female from the side of head, widely opening and planting in sides bright wings. Thus it moves by antennae, touching by them to antennae of the female. When the female reciprocates, male closes wings and starts to chirr loudly, rubbing one wing against another. Thus it declares the rights on the female. If near one female some males gather, they begin original “tournament” in which the strongest one is displaying. Males up to the last moment avoid to enter direct collision which can be finished by death of one of them, and superiority is defined by loudness of chirring and brightness of coloring of wings. Males start to chirr, to short time interrupting warbles with demonstration of unwrapped wings. Weaker males at once leave a place of competitions, and gradually near the female only one or two contenders stay. If it is impossible to define the strongest one in the peace way, and not any male wish to concede, between them fight is possible. Strong forward legs are in use, with which contenders grip each other by bases of antennae and try to push aside from the female. Fight is accompanied with menacing chirring and demonstration of opened wings.
Pairing lasts not for long, then the male loses interest to the female and crawls out. With the help of long ovipositor female places portion of two - three tens large eggs in friable, well warmed up ground, and does not care any more about them. For all life she can make up to ten clutches.
All orthopters are insects with incomplete metamorphosis: from eggs larvae similar to an adult insect excluse. Young saw-legged dragon grasshoppers about 5 millimeters long eat different delicate insects - plant lice and tiny caterpillars. At half-year age they grow up to the size of adult insect, and become able to breeding. At the lack of forage they will turn to “scanty” ones with thin long body and wide wings. Such individuals fly perfectly, and easily move from island to another one searching of favorable conditions for life.

It is animal of neocene. Look in [[link] ]
We are need for more painters (sorry of my english ). All comers - Welcome!