Newly discovered wasp species is the stuff of nightmares
After I logged off my Hotmail account, I had just came across this blog entry on MSN.ca.
Source:Sync-Blog at Sympatico.ca
On an expedition to the mountains of Indonesia, scientists have made a frightening discovery: a gigantic new species of wasp with jaws bigger than its own front legs.
Discovered in the Mekongga Mountains of Indonesia by entomologist Lynn Kimsey of the University of California, Davis, the unusual critter has the science world buzzing. The shiny black wasp has a huge body: more than two-and-a-half inches long on the male. But the real story is the insect’s massive jaws.
“Its jaws are so large that they wrap up either side of the head when closed,” says Kimsey. “When the jaws are open they are actually longer than the male’s front legs. I don’t know how it can walk.”
Kimsey has named the wasp Garuda after Indonesia’s national symbol, a mythical warrior that is part eagle, part human.
As you can see, the resemblance is uncanny, although the wasp may have a slight advantage in the ‘causes nightmares’ department.
Little is known about the terrifying new species, but Kimsey has speculated on some of its behaviours: “the jaws are big enough to wrap around the female’s thorax and hold her during mating.
” Isn’t that charming? Kimsey also says the wasp is known to feed on other insects, a process that I can only assume is both gruesome and horrifying.
Now, in case you’re still not thoroughly disturbed, here’s one last look at the nasty little sucker. Enjoy!
Source:Sync-Blog at Sympatico.ca
On an expedition to the mountains of Indonesia, scientists have made a frightening discovery: a gigantic new species of wasp with jaws bigger than its own front legs.
Discovered in the Mekongga Mountains of Indonesia by entomologist Lynn Kimsey of the University of California, Davis, the unusual critter has the science world buzzing. The shiny black wasp has a huge body: more than two-and-a-half inches long on the male. But the real story is the insect’s massive jaws.
“Its jaws are so large that they wrap up either side of the head when closed,” says Kimsey. “When the jaws are open they are actually longer than the male’s front legs. I don’t know how it can walk.”
Kimsey has named the wasp Garuda after Indonesia’s national symbol, a mythical warrior that is part eagle, part human.
As you can see, the resemblance is uncanny, although the wasp may have a slight advantage in the ‘causes nightmares’ department.
Little is known about the terrifying new species, but Kimsey has speculated on some of its behaviours: “the jaws are big enough to wrap around the female’s thorax and hold her during mating.
” Isn’t that charming? Kimsey also says the wasp is known to feed on other insects, a process that I can only assume is both gruesome and horrifying.
Now, in case you’re still not thoroughly disturbed, here’s one last look at the nasty little sucker. Enjoy!