Evolution Produces Superpowers

Move over, Ugly Duckling Story… 

Beaded Lacewing

This is a Beaded Lacewing from Udzungwa Tanzania.  Beautiful and delicate when it grows up, Lomamyia latipennis while still in larvae form prey on termites by toxic-farting on them and then digesting the paralysed bugs from the inside.

You’d think it’s the older male child that gets the most mileage of this but….. my younger one loves “butterflies”.

It’s funny and a little disconcerting to watch my little girl-child bounding about mimicking butterflies flitting back and forth in the summer heat, pretending to catch prey by………. yup, you guessed it. And I thought the preoccupation with spiders was bad. Oh, HK has giant praying mantises too – I’m going to type that the female often chews off the head of the smaller males which she eats indiscriminately to the rest of her food supply – while I still can. (Before the Miss can read.) Rockstar is on strict instructions not to tell her these bits – under threat of no Youtube for a week. Because it’s too hot now to stand around explaining to other mummies we meet while scooting back and forth for summer classes that my gorgeous little girlie is mimicking praying mantises or yes, the toxic-farting Lomamyia latipennis.

So you know what this one’s gonna do, during the awkward “ugly duckling years”. Hint: It’s not going to be to slink away and cry quietly…

“I have giant bughead-eating mandibles. Or toxic farts. Hear. Me.

RRRRRRRRRRRRROOOAAARRRRR!!!