The bug that wears its victims' corpses as a disguise
This bug stabs its prey, drinks it from the inside out, then wears the empty corpses as armor.
The short version
The assassin bug stabs prey with a sharp curved beak, injects venom that liquefies the insides, and slurps them out. Some species glue the drained corpses of the ants they kill onto their own backs as camouflage and armor — a gruesome stack that can be taller than the bug itself.
Why it's so weird
- ✓The Assassin Bug glues the drained corpses of its victims onto its own back, building a tower of bodies taller than itself.
- ✓The Assassin Bug stabs prey with a sharp curved beak and injects venom that turns the insides to liquid.
- ✓The Assassin Bug slurps its liquefied prey out like a juice box, leaving a hollow shell behind.
- ✓The Assassin Bug uses its stack of dead bodies as both camouflage and armor to terrify predators.
The full story
This bug stabs its prey, drinks it from the inside out, then wears the empty corpses as a disguise. Meet the assassin bug, one of the most gruesome hunters in the entire insect world. It hunts with a sharp, curved beak, which it jabs into its victim and uses to inject a venom that turns the insides into liquid. Then it simply slurps the prey out like a juice box, leaving a hollow shell behind. But here is the truly disturbing part. Some species glue the drained corpses of the ants they have killed onto their own backs, building a tower of dead bodies taller than themselves. It works as both camouflage and armor, and it terrifies anything that might eat them. A tiny serial killer wearing its trophies. Follow for more weird animal facts.
Watch the 45-second version
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