Giraffe Weevil (Trachelophorus giraffa)

The male Giraffe Weevil (Trachelophorus giraffa) has a neck two to three times longer than the female's, giving it a silhouette that looks more like surrealist sculpture than a beetle. Endemic to the forests of Madagascar, this extraordinary insect uses its absurd proportions for a surprisingly practical purpose.

Giraffe Weevils are found in the rainforests and deciduous forests of eastern Madagascar, where they are associated with a small tree known locally as the "giraffe beetle tree" (Dichaetanthera arborea). Males use their extended necks in combat, wrestling with rivals over access to females in slow, deliberate bouts that look like miniature jousting tournaments. The winning male mates while the female carefully rolls a single leaf into a tight tube, lays an egg inside, and snips it from the branch - a precisely engineered nursery that falls to the forest floor, where the larva develops in relative safety.

Madagascar's long isolation from mainland Africa has produced a remarkable array of endemic species, and the Giraffe Weevil is among the most visually dramatic. The exaggerated neck of the male is a product of sexual selection - the same evolutionary force responsible for the peacock's tail and the narwhal's tusk - and demonstrates that even among beetles, natural selection does not always favour the subtle or the streamlined.

Bugs is a collection of natural history illustration prints drawn from the insect world - beetles, flies, bugs, butterflies, and moths selected for the strangeness, beauty, and variety of their forms.

Each illustration is adapted from Simon Tyler's book Bugs, published by Pavilion in 2017 and subsequently published in French and Chinese. The series draws on the tradition of scientific natural history illustration - precise, considered, and attentive to the details that make each species distinctive.

Insects account for the majority of all known animal species on Earth. This collection is a small survey of what that diversity looks like.

All prints are produced to order on 250gsm archival matte paper using pigment-based inks, chosen for colour accuracy and long-term stability.

Each print is rolled in acid-free tissue and shipped in a rigid cardboard tube, sealed for moisture protection, ready for framing on arrival.

Large · 50 × 70 cm · 20 × 28 in

XLarge · 70 × 100 cm · 28 × 40 in

UK: Free · 3-5 working days

Europe: €8.50 · 3-7 working days · No customs charges

USA & Canada: $8.95 / $12.00 CAD · 5-10 working days

Australia: $14.00 AUD · 5-10 working days

Rest of World: £14.95 · 7-14 working days

All prints are produced to order and dispatched within 1-3 working days. Orders placed before 5pm GMT ship the same day. You'll receive tracking information by email once dispatched.

Orders outside Europe may be subject to local customs charges on delivery - these are the responsibility of the recipient.

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Returns accepted within 30 days. Email returns@axisophy.com with your order number and we'll provide return instructions.

Return postage is the customer's responsibility except where the print arrives damaged or there's been an error - in which case we'll arrange a replacement or refund immediately, no return needed.

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