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Weekly Puzzler Answer #76

eggs--4So at some point before these eggs hatched, I thought, ‘gosh, I really don’t know what will come out of here. Maybe it won’t be a docile caterpillar like the Monarch. I should separate them, just in case.’ And I did. Which turned out to be a really good thing because guess what came out of those two beautiful eggs?

Two small–but fierce–assassin bugs! Even without having ever seen or heard of this insect, I am sure you can guess a bit about their habits! They are of course ASSASSINS! They are predators, feeding on other insects and invertebrates. assassin--5

There are 6,000 different kinds of assassin bugs in the world. All are predators that have a long beak that consists of 3 segments plus a single tube. Unlike many other animals, they do not have internal digestion, but rather external digestion.

An assassin bug approaches a fly
An assassin bug approaches a fly

They use their beak to inject a paralyzing toxin into their unsuspecting prey. Then they suck out the body fluids. Yum, right? I hope you’re not trying to eat breakfast as you read! If so, my apologies!

An assassin bug feeding on a soldier beetle.
An assassin bug feeding on a soldier beetle.

The toxin works quickly, able to kill a cockroach in only a few seconds and a caterpillar in less than 10. Probably a good thing for the animal about to be sucked dry.

Check out the long beak!
Check out the long beak!

Assassin bugs will molt 4 times before becoming their adult size and color.

Have you ever seen one of these bugs? If not, be on the lookout as they are pretty interesting to watch.

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