Bug Girl Becca

It’s World Turtle Day!🐢 The science is clear: Change is needed for future generations to survive and enjoy a world filled with nature. My friends at have secured over 65,000 acres of vulnerable habitat in Mexico, Africa and Asia. By conserving nature, we contribute to the overall health of the planet’s ecosystems and, hopefully, to the continued prosperity of our species. Follow to see how you can help!
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Leopard Tortoise (Stigmochelys pardalis), Pancake Tortoise (Malacochersus tornieri) and an Eastern Box Turtle (Terrapene carolina carolina)! The first two pictures were taken from my trip to Tanzania a couple years back💕
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Groot the Ghost Mantis (Phyllocrania paradoxa)💕
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Ghost Mantises are beautiful insects native to Africa. With their calm demeanor, stunning coloration of browns, grays and greens and their ability to live in communal colonies, these mantises make attractive pets! Their cryptic (AKA camouflaged) appearance helps fool potential predators into believing that this isn’t an insect but instead is just a dead, dried-up leaf. They are even capable of playing dead when disturbed and will keep up the act for minutes at a time! I will gently blow on Groot when she does this and she will drop the act.
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Like many insects, Ghost Mantises are sexually dimorphic, meaning the female and male differ in appearance. Females are larger, thicker-bodied and have 6 abdominal segments. Males, on the other hand, are thinner and smaller with 8 abdominal segments. The males also have longer, thicker antennae and the leaf-like crown on their head is tall, jagged and often asymmetrical. Females have shorter, straighter and more symmetrical crowns along with thin antennae.
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Chime in with your own fun facts about these cool mantises in the comments below! Or, if this is your first time hearing about them, tell me what you think their best feature is🥰 @ Newark, Delaware

Say hello to Ace the Vinegaroon!👋🏼
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Vinegaroons, or whip scorpions, belong to the order Thelyphonida (previously known as Uropygi). This species (Mastigoproctus giganteus) is native to a few southern states in the US as well as parts of Mexico. Despite their alien-like appearance, vinegaroons are relatively harmless to people. Unlike true scorpions, they lack a stinger; instead, vinegaroons use that long, thing appendage protruding from its posterior for spraying a defensive fluid. The fluid, acetic acid, smells strongly of vinegar and is the source for the common name “vinegaroon”. The acetic acid is not harmful to humans but may burn if it comes in contact with the eyes. It WILL make your skin stink, though, and that’s why I often compare these interesting arachnids to skunks!
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Another fun fact about vinegaroons is that there are actually 7 different species in the United States! Previously, scientists believed that all the vinegaroons in the USA were Mastigoproctus giganteus. Research from 2018 suggests otherwise, however, which is really interesting information! I’d love to go see how many I could find...if only I were in their range😅
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Have you ever seen a vinegaroon before? Tell me about it in the comments below!😊 @ Newark, Delaware

Hey there, bug nerds! Want to learn more about the fascinating and amazing world of arachnids?? Have a child bored at home who needs something educational and exciting to spice up their quarantined classroom?
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Then look no further! I’ve teamed up with entomologist-in-the-making a guest on her wonderful, weekly educational class. This Wednesday, May 6th, at 10am PST (1pm EST), we’ll be teaching you all about arachnids: spiders, scorpions, ticks, mites and more! If you want to tune in, be sure to follow . The class will be taking place on her Instagram Live. We hope to see you all there!
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As a side note, how awesome is Sadie? She’s using her passions to educate others during a scary and troubling time and I couldn’t be prouder of her, so please tune in! It would mean the world to me to bring an abundance of appreciation to her class🥰
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These pictures are from Sadie’s visit last fall. I was able to give Sadie a tour of our USDA lab and quarantine facility before going out bug-hunting together! It was so much fun😊 @ Newark, Delaware