History Main / BigCreepyCrawlies

* In ''VideoGame/PotionPermit'', Crownmites, Goldenhorns, , and Sandcrawls are beetles almost the size of the Chemist. They have [[HeavilyArmoredMook tough exoskeletons only breakable by hammer]], with the [[EliteMooks Goldenhorns' being much tougher.]] They [[FlippingHelpless flip over once their armor is destroyed, making them more vulnerable to attacks.]]

* In ''VideoGame/PotionPermit'', Crownmites and Goldenhorns are beetles almost the size of the Chemist. They have [[HeavilyArmoredMook tough exoskeletons only breakable by hammer]], with the [[EliteMooks Goldenhorns' being much tougher.]] They [[FlippingHelpless flip over once their armor is destroyed, making them more vulnerable to attacks.]]

* In ''VideoGame/PotionPermit'', Crownmites and Goldenhorns are beetles almost the size of the Chemist. They have [[HeavilyArmoredMook tough exoskeletons only breakable by hammer]], with the [[EliteMooks Goldenhorns' being much tougher.]]

This often overlaps with AtrociousArthropods, as Big Creepy Crawlies are often depicted as hideous and dangerous beings. See also ScaryScorpions, CreepyCentipedes, CreepyCockroach, BeeAfraid, WickedWasps, MothMenace, Slaying Mantis, LiceEpisode and BugWar. If they are from space, they're InsectoidAliens. If they have a lust for galactic domination, they are a HordeOfAlienLocusts. A subset of AttackOfThe50FootWhatever and DireBeast. These are especially common in prehistoric settings. Videogames (and {{Kaiju}}) seem to love combining this trope and MacabreMothMotif. Some of them are also ProportionatelyPonderousParasites. Often led by a [[InsectQueen queen]].

** ''VideoGame/TheLegendofZeldaTearsOfTheKingdom has winged Gibdo variants that resemble demonic moths, and Queen Gibdo is clearly an insectoid behemoth.

* ''Fanfic/TheFall'': The world of ''Fallout'' is home to no shortage of these. On her first day on Earth, Louise encounters Bloatflies and a scorpion roughly her own size. On her second day, an even bigger scorpion chases her into Goodpsprings, requiring a few people to put it down. On her third day, she hears of Cazadors, giant tarantula hawk-wasps that have infested the road north of the town. Sunny warns that their venom is not something you want to be hit with, considering they were capable of downing a full grown man before they mutated.

* ''VideoGame/{{Fallout}}'':

** ''Franchise/{{Superman}}'': In an issue of ''ComicBook/KryptoniteNevermore'', Superman faces off against two [[AntAssault rhino-sized ants]]. After the fight Superman notes that [[SquareCubeLaw their size]] [[SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome would have doomed them soon anyway.]]

* Zigzagged in the short story "giANTS" by Edward Bryant. An IntrepidReporter uncovers evidence that the American and Brazilian governments are working together to [[GovernmentCoverup cover something up]], and various clues -- not least of which being increased interest in the movie ''Film/{{Them}}'' among the involved parties -- make her suspect that an army of giant mutant ants has arisen in South America, and that, like the fire ants and killer bees before them, they're on their way north. She manages to track down a scientist who seems to be connected to the whole thing, but he tells her that there are no giant mutant ants -- ''yet''. [[spoiler:He then explains to her what's actually going on. It turns out that something -- possibly a radiation leak from a nearby power station -- has messed up the life cycle of a swarm of army ants, permanently locking them into their nomadic phase. They're no bigger than other ants of their species, but they're more active, more aggressive and hungrier, and have the power to devastate the ecosystem in their path. Oh, and thanks to incautious use of insecticide over the years, they're resistant to every one available. Fortunately, the project he's part of has come up with an unconventional solution: a mutagen which will, indeed, cause the ants to grow enormous... [[SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome which will inevitably kill them]] as [[SquareCubeLaw their bodies can no longer carry their own weight]]. It works.]]

This often overlaps with AtrociousArthropods, as Big Creepy Crawlies are often depicted as hideous and dangerous beings. See also ScaryScorpions, CreepyCentipedes, CreepyCockroach, BeeAfraid, WickedWasps, MothMenace, LiceEpisode and BugWar. If they are from space, they're InsectoidAliens. If they have a lust for galactic domination, they are a HordeOfAlienLocusts. A subset of AttackOfThe50FootWhatever and DireBeast. These are especially common in prehistoric settings. Videogames (and {{Kaiju}}) seem to love combining this trope and MacabreMothMotif. Some of them are also ProportionatelyPonderousParasites. Often led by a [[InsectQueen queen]].

* Giant insects/arthropods were common from the Ordovician to the Carboniferous period, with foot-long cockroaches, seagull-sized dragonflies, 8 and a half-foot long millipedes and 3-foot long scorpions. Several of these survived into the Permian period. This was partially possible because the oxygen in the atmosphere was almost ridiculously high at the time, 2-3 times today's. Since arthropods absorb oxygen through small holes in their body, their size is strictly limited by the concentration of oxygen in the air.

* The biggest arthropods of all time, the eurypterids (aka "sea scorpions") were marine cousins to modern arachnids, and they lived worldwide from the Ordovician to Permian. Even average-sized eurypterid species could grow 8 inches long, and the biggest exceeded 8 ''feet''.

* While not the size of the Paleozoic behemoths mentioned above, the Triassic [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Titanoptera Titanopterans]] are massive insects by anyone's standards. These carnivorous mantis-like insects could have wingspans as long as 14 inches and were probably carnivorous.
* Trilobites were no slouches. [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isotelus One genus]] is known to have exceeded two feet, longer than the biggest confirmed finds of their SpiritualSuccessor, the giant isopod, which itself can achieve lengths of up to 20 inches.
* While not being true arthropods, radiodonts, aka anomalocarids deserve a mention. ''[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aegirocassis Aegirocassis]]'' grew up to 2m long, even after their Cambrian heyday. ''[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laminacaris Laminacaris]]'' also probably grew over a metre long based on more complete relatives. ''Anomalocaris'' itself, while not exactly being ''small'', only got to around a foot long.
* ''[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Omnidens Omnidens]]'', despite being even more distant than the radiodonts, grew up to ''1.5 meters long'' before any other animal.

* ''VideoGame/{{Bug}}'' has insectoid Mooks the same size as the titular character, but it is subverted as the player character himself is a bug. Then you see [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=73sZVG3o_bQ the ending]], which shows that Bug and the insectoid enemies (who are actually actors) are about half the size of a human!

[[folder:Film — Animated]]

[[folder:Film — Live-Action]]

* Both the original ''Film/{{Clash of the Titans|1981}}'' and [[Film/ClashOfTheTitans2010 the 2010 remake]] feature a pair of giant scorpions.

* ''Deep Star Six'' features a giant [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eurypterid eurypterid.]]
* The prawns of ''Film/{{District 9}}'' are giant walking cockroaches with some resemblance to crustaceans, and are supposed to be named after the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parktown_prawn Parktown prawn]], a kind of giant cricket.

* 1977's ''Empire Of The Ants'' loosely adapted Creator/HGWells' short story about intelligent ants taking over South America, but enlarged the ants to the size of pickup trucks to make it a straight monster flick rather than an insectile AlienInvasion story.

** ''Film/{{Godzilla 2014}}'': The "[=MUTO=]s" resemble large insects. Additionally, the Teaser Trailer Monster (a monster from a trailer but which never actually appeared in the movie) resembles a gigantic [[CreepyCentipedes centipede]] or a tardigrade.

* Giant insects/arthropods were common from the Ordovician to the Carboniferous period, with foot-long cockroaches, seagull-sized dragonflies, 8 and a half-foot long millipedes and 3-foot long scorpions. Foot-long versions of these survived into the Permian period. This was only possible because the oxygen in the atmosphere was almost ridiculously high at the time, 2-3 times today's. Since arthropods absorb oxygen through small holes in their body, their size is strictly limited by the concentration of oxygen in the air.

* Several of the enemies in ''VideoGame/{{Solatorobo}}'', including one called the "[[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin bigant]]". Elh thinks they are horrifying and demands that Red [[EekAMouse kill them immediately]]; Red, for his part, says they are "harmless" (despite the fact that they try to kill you [[EverythingTryingToKillYou like any other enemy]]), but usually goes about killing them anyway.

*** Catachan Devils, a species of gigantic centipede-like alien with scorpion attributes.

* ''VideoGame/TheTwins'' has a giant beetle that acts as the pet of the villains.

* ''The Twins'' has a giant beetle that acts as the pet of the villains.

* ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil''
** The series liked to play this by having giant snakes, tarantulas, and a Black Tiger...a giant spider Capcom specifically redesigned from the VideoGameRemake on so it looks like a Australian funnelweb to make Chris or Jill shit themselves.

* ''VideoGame/SeaSalt'': Many of the beginner units are giant arthropods, mollusks, and annelids -- specifically the Swarm (small arthropods resembling tiny [[VideoGame/{{Starcraft}} Zerglings]]), the Worm (giant worms that spew acid), and [[GiantEnemyCrab Crabs]].

%%* The Zerg of ''VideoGame/StarCraft''.