Weird fly thing

Citrus Heights, CA

I found this outside on a screen in front of my house. It doesn't exactly look deadly but I'd like to know what it is...at first I thought it was a mosquito eater, we have tons of them...but upon closer inspection, it seems to have a lot more going on. The eyes are different and the body is kinda furry...different from a mosquito eater. It's also a lot bigger than a ME...from the tip of the toes on the left to the tip of the toes on the right, it's probably about 3-4 inches. I'm in the Sacramento, CA area....

Thumbnail by HeatherJoy
Minot, ND

This is simply a very large crane fly -
http://www.fcps.edu/islandcreekes/ecology/Insects/Crane%20Fly/crane_fly.jpg
Although sometimes called 'mosquito eaters, they do not eat mosquitoes (or much of anything else, for that matter). Some adults do not appear to feed at all...

Citrus Heights, CA

Hmmph...interesting. I thought I had heard that they really don't eat mosquitoes, but I grew up calling them that so the name kinda just stuck. Thanks for the info...I never realized how cool bugs were....this one should be considered a mammal considering how hairy it is. I just know it must feed its young milk!!! Thanks for the info...

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