Finally, an insect worthy of being called my friend!

Yes, the Dobsonfly is one crazy insect and a longtime friend of mine! Even as a child I loved capturing them in their larval stage, down in the creek behind my parents house, when they are commonly called "hellgrammites." In fact, the majority of the Dobsonfly's life is spent in the water as a hellgrammite. As an adult, they only live about a week.

With a wingspan that can rival a sparrow or bat, the Dobsonfly is one impressive insect. Since they are mostly nocturnal, I've even mistaken them for bats at night before. This one happens to be a male, which can be determined from the size of its mandibles ("pinchers").

The information is the video is original but I did have a quick refresher from this source.