Page 127 - World of Animals - Deadly Predators
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obber flies are born killers – Their hunting tactics are stealthy. They to their perch to eat, sucking out the liquid
from the moment they hatch, find a sunny perch with a good view and insides before throwing the exoskeleton away.
they’re on the hunt. As larvae, they sit and wait. When they spot a potential This system is so successful that robber
they eat eggs, other larvae and meal, they take flight. They tackle their prey flies have diversified into more than 7,000
Rsoft-bodied insects. By the time in mid-air, using bristled legs to get a good species, found all across the world. Some can
they reach adulthood, their killing skills are grip, before injecting toxic saliva. This saliva reach more than 2.5 centimetres (one inch) in
honed and they’re ready to take on even contains two key ingredients: neurotoxins to length, and are capable of taking down prey
more challenging meals. Adult robber flies paralyse the prey, and digestive enzymes, as large as a bumble bee. A few have even
will attack some of the world’s scariest which quickly get to work turning it into evolved to look like bees, allowing them to
invertebrates, including wasps and spiders. dinner. Robber flies carry their prey back sneak up on this massive prey undetected.
COMPOUND EYES DEADLY ASSASSINS
Large eyes allow robber flies Robber flies can catch and kill insects
many times their own size
to spot their prey before it
spots them.
PIERCING
MOUTHPARTS
Sharp mouthparts
deliver a powerful
bite, piercing the
exoskeleton of
captured prey.
TOXIC SALIVA
Robber fly saliva contains
neurotoxins to paralyse
prey and enzymes to start
digesting it.
ON THE HUNT
A bold robber fly perches on the
nose of a predatory frog
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