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common
Common Earwig
Forficula auricularia
- Habitat
- Gardens, leaf litter, and crevices across Europe and North America
- Body length
- 14 mm
- Order
- Dermaptera · Forficulidae
Weird but real
Folds its fan-like flight wings into intricate origami packets ten times under those tail forceps, yet rarely bothers to fly. The ear-crawling legend is pure myth.
Why it's cool
One of the very few insects that mothers her young, guarding the eggs, licking off mould, and feeding the hatchlings. Tender parenting from a bug everyone fears.
