The animal kingdom is a brutal place (as we all know). Within this world are a few creatures a bit more terrifying than the rest. Most people would probably consider wasps and spiders to be up there on the “worst things alive” list.
However, I’d like you to meet an insect that’s even more terrifying (and awesome) than wasps and spiders. This insect actually eats wasps and spiders for breakfast (or lunch, or dinner).
This is the robber fly, also known as an assassin fly. Here is one enjoying a nice, tasty wasp. Yummy.
These bugs get their name from being notoriously aggressive in their eating habits.
They prey on pretty much all other flying insects. Their daily menu includes any combination of ants, bees, wasps, dragonflies, regular flies, moths, butterflies, beetles, grasshoppers, and some spiders.
As if that wasn’t terrifying enough, the robber fly always waits to attack its prey while they’re in mid-flight.
Once they’ve caught their prey, robber flies quickly subdue them by injecting a powerful neurotoxin.
The toxin is fast acting, and quickly paralyzes the victim.
After the prey is paralyzed, the toxin also begins to digest and liquify their insides.
The robber fly then sucks out the digested insides like so.
Now that is an insect I don’t want to mess with. Here is a robber fly preparing to eat an unlucky dragonfly.
Robber flies don’t bite humans…unless they’re being roughly handled by one. In which case, their bite is supposed to hurt quite a bit.
This is actually kind of terrifying, but I guess it’s also a good thing. It personally makes me happy that there is a creature out there that eats wasps. My hatred for wasps knows no bounds.
