![]() But the sugary substance is also loaded with a powerful tranquilizer soon, the ant collapses, paralyzed, and the assassin bug can suck its innards without any resistance.Īlso known as the driver, safari or army ant, this African species if the only insect known to attack and devour humans, although this happens only very rarely. It produces a sugary substance through its abdomen, which serves as bait for the sweet-loving ants. Perhaps the most amazing assassin bug is a certain species that feeds on ants. Spider-hunting assassin bugs often mimic the vibrations produced by insects entangled in a spider web the spider attacks, thinking that it has caught a tasty meal, only to be killed and devoured itself. Some of them cover their bodies with bark, dust, or even dead insects to disguise their appearance and scent, and sneak up on unsuspecting prey. ![]() However, most assassin bugs aren’t fast flyers or runners, so they use trickery to hunt. (Like many other insects, assassin bugs are unable to feed on solid matter). They are armed with needle-like mouthparts, which they use to inject lethal saliva into their prey this saliva liquifies the victim’s innards. Often, a species of assassin bug will specialize in a certain kind of prey for example, some of them feed only on spiders, others prefer ants, etc. There are plenty of species, and most of them are harmless to man (although some have excruciatingly painful bites). Once the antlion larva has secured its prey, it sucks its body fluid with the tooth-like projections of its jaws, and then throws the dry carcass out of the pit.Īssassin bugs are among Nature’s most ingenious killers. Sometimes, an ant will escape the larva and attempt to climb the walls of the pit in this case, the antlion has another trick up its sleeve it throws jets of sand to the ant, so that it slips back into the pit’s bottom. Whenever an unfortunate insect (usually an ant) steps on the edge of the pit, the sand collapses and the victim falls to the bottom, and into the antlion larva’s deadly jaws. The antlion then buries itself in the bottom of the pit. They live in sandy places, where they dig a funnel-shaped pit, cleverly designed so that no insect can climb its steep walls. Antlion larvae, on the other hand, are deadly insect predators, and just like Arachnocampa, they have developed a most amazing trick to capture prey. The larvae of these beetles are also fearsome predators, but instead of chasing their prey, they prefer to wait in ambush, hidden underground, and capture any passing insect with their enormous jaws.Īdult antlions look rather like damselflies, and although some species hunt smaller flying insects, most of them prefer to feed on pollen and nectar. There are many species of Tiger Beetle and they are among the most abundant insect predators, being extremely useful to humans as they help control pests. Their sharp mandibles can easily sever the limbs and body parts of other insects, sometimes bigger than the Tiger Beetle itself. Tiger Beetles feed on whatever small animal they can subdue they hunt mostly on land, but are also skilled flyers and have been known to catch other insects in the air too. ![]() But if we take its size into account, it is actually the fastest animal in the world! If we could run as fast as the tiger beetle, proportionally to our size, we could reach speeds of almost 500 kms (311 mph) per hour! This speed is so extreme that a running Tiger Beetle must stop constantly to locate prey, since its eyes are unable to process visual information at such high speed. Compared to this, a Tiger Beetle is a slowpoke it can only run at a speed of 8 kms (5 mph) per hour. As for the long, tail-like projection at the end of their abdomen, it is actually a breathing tube the water scorpion uses it to collect oxygen from the surface, and can subsequently remain underwater for up to half an hour before it has to breathe again.Įveryone knows that the fastest land predator is the cheetah, which can reach speeds of 115 kms (71 mph) per hour. Water scorpions are sort of the insect equivalent of a crocodile they are slow moving ambush predators that snatch any small animal that comes close mostly, they feed on other aquatic insects such as mosquito larvae and diving beetles, but they have been known to dine on small fish and frogs once in a while.Īlthough they have wings, their flight muscles are poorly developed and they fly rarely, usually when the ponds or lakes where they live start to dry up and they must find a new residence. However, they are the scourge of small aquatic animals, which they capture with their strong, modified forelegs. Despite their fearsome appearance and alarming name, water scorpions are actually insects, belonging to the true bug (Hemiptera) group, and completely harmless to humans. ![]()
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