Scary, Ugly, and Dangerous!

So, it's Friday, the 13th!  Nothing scares me more than ugly or dangerous bugs.  Here's a few that might make your skin crawl a little (or a lot!):

Asian Giant Hornet



photo courtesy of incrediblethings.com

-2 in. long; stings with a potent venom that also contains a pheromone to call other hornets for reinforcement.

-Native to temperate and tropical Eastern Asia

 

Army Ants
 

photo courtesy of Mark W. Moffett; nationalgeographic.com

-Have massive, powerful, machete-like jaws that can dismantle any living thing in their path, regardless of size.

-Entire colony moves constantly and can consume 100,000 prey animals each day.
 

Goliath Bird-eating Spider

photo courtesy of wikipedia.org

-Second largest spider in the world with a 12 in. leg span and weight up to 6 oz.

-Type of tarantula found in the rainforest regions of northern South America.

-Despite it's name, it mostly eats insects and other invertebrates.
 

Amazonian Giant Centipede

photo courtesy of strangeanimals.info

-Can reach a length of 12 in.

-Found in South America

-Preys on insects, spiders, lizards, frogs, birds, mice, and bats
 

Bot Fly





photo courtesy of J.Eibl; sel.barc.usda.gov



 

-Each species targets a specific animal-horse, sheep, and even humans.

-The larvae are internal parasites of mammals that live out the larval stage in the subcutaneous layer of skin, causing painful pustules.

-Most species are found in Central and South America.