Corydalus armatus, La Planada Nature Reserve, Colombia

We were opening our first moth night at La Planada Nature Reserve when this enormous insect came flying erratically towards the light. We had never seen anything like it, and it totally freaked us out, even more so when having a closer look at it.

This is a dobsonfly. Males have enormous mandibles, which are in fact too large, they can't be used for anything other than sexual selection. They look hellish, therefore they name their children hellgrammites.

So although they send even the toughest machete farmer running, they are completely harmless to people. They are part of the fascinating insect order megaloptera:
https://www.jungledragon.com/wildlife/browse/animalia/arthropoda/insecta/megaloptera