brown bear

earwigThe myth of an earwig crawling into the ear of a sleeping humanand gnawing itself further into the brain is a widespread onewith an impressive history. Already Pliny the Elder, a physicianand naturalist of the Roman era, wrote in the encyclopaedia“Natural History” (“Naturalis Historia”, published around 77–79 AD) that when an earwig gets into one’s ear, it will bite itthrough and come out. The myth of earwigs’ love for ears seemsto be shared by many nations. The word “ear” occurs in theinsect’s name in English, French, German and Russian. Earwigslike to slip into damp and dark places, which the ear passagesare. Yet it is hard to imagine a situation in which human ears andearwigs could meet.earwigEarwigs are omnivores. They eat both decaying and growingplants, both dead and live insects, their larvae and eggs. Insummer, when earwigs are found in masses, they gnaw holepatterns into the flowers and leaves of plants to the annoyanceof gardeners. On the other hand, one earwig can destroyhundreds of green flies and other foes of gardeners in a singlenight. The pincers at the rear end of its body are used both forcapturing and holding prey and for self-defence. They cannotpenetrate human skin but a good pinch can be quite a startle.Estonian Museum of Natural History•Dangerous Nature: Myths & RealityANIMALS 15