Giant cockroaches, hard working armies of ants and copy-cat insects, are only some examples of the quantious variety of invertebrates found in Peru. It is amongst the 10 countries in the world with the greatest amount of biodiversity and, according to scientists, has around 70% of different life habitats to be found on the planet.

There are no exact statistics available, due to the need for more research, but it is estimated - to give just one example - that around 21% of butterfly species living in the world live in Peru. The Amazon region has the largest number of insects, due to the mega diversity of its flora, and its intense humidity, which makes it the perfect habitat for these tiny beings that have such great importance for the ecosystem.

Around Iquitos, capital of the Department of Loreto, it's possible to see Titanus giganteus, the largest cockroach in the world, the female of which can grow up to 15 cm. The Megasoma actaeon species is also a great surprise, but for it's weight; which can reach up to 80 gm.

One of the more astonishing insects to be found is the stick insect, grasshoppers of the orthopteran species. These insects take their form after the leaves and lichens which shelter them, and go as far as to imitate their movements. They can grow up to 30 cm, and are similar to the slim stick insects. The same perfection is achieved by another small grasshopper, with big antennae, the species Tettigoniidae, this one endemic to the Peruvian jungle and excellent at faking the appearance of a leave that has been bitten by other insects.

Although ants are not found to be chameleonic, they are worth noting as an example of community life in the Amazon forests, where you can find two different examples; legionary ants, from the Formicidae family and Atta sp., the leaf cutters. The first species is said to be omnivore, and thus they move in large groups to destroy everything in their path, including whichever vertebrate crosses it. The latter species are real gourmets, because they use the leaves they cut to make a paste that provides the habitat with their actual food, mushrooms. Both types of ants may live in colonies of up to a million insects.

However, these tiny insects are not endemic to the jungle, but can also be found in the river crossed desertic coast of Peru, mainly in the hillocks found in the Lachay National Park, to the north of Lima. This park has its own typical flora that make for a habitat for insect species native to that landscape. South of Lima, in Paracas National Park, Scarabeidae cockroaches live in guano birds nests, feeding of their droppings. It is thought that they play an essential part in the recycling of this fecal material.

Another unique type of cockroach, known as "conocochas", from the coleopterous species, inhabit the high Andes. As a result of evolution, these insects lost their wings in order to better adapt to the climactic conditions of the region. An excellent indicator of the environmental health of the rivers and lakes of this zone, is the abundant presence of efemeropeters, plecopters, and tricopters, which depend on crystal clear, rapid, unpolluted waters to survive, and thus guarantee with their sole presence their existence.

All these insects are part of the rich treasure of entomological variety found in Peru, a paradise for researchers in this complex world of surprising mini gigantic species.