Awwww look at this Robber Fly cuddling its teddy bear ❤️
Oops, my bad. Let's try that again. Look at this Robber Fly injecting this insect that it has hunted down and caught mid air, with a neurotoxin to immobilise it and enzymes to liquify its insides so that it can suck up all the liquified insecty goodness. That's better 😂
Now imagine a HUGE Robber Fly, bigger than your thumb. When they're that big, they make a lot of noise; you hear them coming way before you spot them. When they come in to land you see it, a big fat noisy blob that weighs down and bends any foliage it lands on. Now imagine my poor husband being stood on a small pathway surrounded on both sides by tall greenery ie with nowhere to go and then add in a Giant Robber Fly. Needless to say, chaos ensues! 😂
The thing was, we had only recently noticed a lovely big White-Headed Pigeon looking out suspiciously from a tree, and just behind him, his Mrs was sitting on their nest. So that blocked off the path behind Matt because he's a lovely human who doesn't want to upset the birbs so he had to panic on the spot, waving his arms about and ensuring the Robber Fly didn't land on him. But the thing was, I WANTED it to land on him! Not for the fear factor but so that I could show its size more easily. But Matt was having none of it. Guess I'll have to start packing a small ruler after all.
Robber Fly and Giant Robber Fly
Wollongong Botanic Garden
#wollongongbotanicgarden #entomology #robberfly #backyardzoology
