Little Monsters - Part 26: Ammophila, Alien is real.
Parasitic wasps are relatively commonplace, this does nothing to lessen the terror induced when considering exactly what they do to give their offspring a good meal and a fresh start in the world.
Some choose to lay eggs on the outside of what will be the host for the larvae. After hatching, these creatures will burrow into the body of the host and begin consuming it dead or alive, it depends on the wasp.
This particular wasp, the Red Banded Sand Wasp (Ammophila sabulosa solowiyofkae) is a bit more insidious. It injects the host animal, in this case a large inchworm, with a venom that paralyzes it but does not kill it.
Why? Well, the caring mother monster doesn't have access to a refrigerator and this will ensure that its precious baby have the very freshest flesh to feast upon when it hatches.
It will cart its living meat locker to a hole in the ground where it will lay a single egg upon it and cover it with soil. Later the egg will hatch and find itself a wonderful store of food to dine upon, eventually emerging as an adult wasp ready to go hunting and continue the grisly cycle anew. It's exacly like the life cycle of the xenomorph from Alien, and I think that these wasps are what inspired that particular aspect of the alien's life cycle.
Off to the steam vents:
While it may seem a bit comical to see the wasp awkwardly carrying the paralyzed caterpillar, we must realize that this is exactly why its legs are so long and its jaws are so wide.
As the wolf would say to Little Red Ridinghood, "All the better to cart you off to be a living snack for my baby, my dear."
Sources: Facts and Names Wikipedia: Ammophila sabulosa
Comments and feedback are always welcome.
Please upvote and follow to see the next installment in your feed!
Resteem if you think your followers would enjoy this post, thanks!
Also, if you like macro photography, check out some of the earlier posts in this series.
Little Monsters - Part I: Wolf Spiders
Little Monsters - Part II: Golden Orb Weaver
Little Monsters - Part III: Lynx Spiders!
Little Monsters - Part IV: Decorator Orb Weaver
Little Monsters - Part V: Black Back Paper Wasp
Little Monsters - Part VI: Dragonfly
Little Monsters - Part VII: Indian Fritallary
Little Monsters - Part VIII: Giant Japanese Hornet
Little Monsters - Part IX: Praying Mantis!
Little Monsters - Part X: Harlequin Ladybird!
Little Monsters - Part XI: Dragons!
Little Monsters - Part XII: Snails!
Little Monsters - Part XIII: Evil Weevils!
Little Monsters - Part XIV: Fantastic Phasmids!
Little Monsters - Part XV: To Bee or not to Bee?
Little Monsters - Part 16: Jumping Spiders!
Little Monsters - Part 17: Hawkmoth Caterpillars and Hawkmoths
Little Monsters - Part 18: Evil Doppelgangers - The Ant Mimic Spider
Little Monsters - Part 19: Hummingbird Hawkmoth!
Little Monsters - Part 20: Loud and Proud the Cicada!
Little Monsters - Part 21: Great Green Caterpillars!
Little Monsters - Part 22: Vespa mandarina japonica
Little Monsters - Part 23: Little Black Ants
Little Monsters - Part 24: Cranes and Robbers
Little Monsters - Part 25: Hidden in the Grass
I maintain and reserve copyright on all of my photos.
cool bro, i like
Thank you @steemgold!
cool pics. how'd i miss you all this time. Happy to stumble upon your posts finally. ^^ liked and followed.
Thanks, I'm very glad you like my work!
This post has been ranked within the top 80 most undervalued posts in the first half of Nov 15. We estimate that this post is undervalued by $3.79 as compared to a scenario in which every voter had an equal say.
See the full rankings and details in The Daily Tribune: Nov 15 - Part I. You can also read about some of our methodology, data analysis and technical details in our initial post.
If you are the author and would prefer not to receive these comments, simply reply "Stop" to this comment.
@mweich yeah - this one's really a monster
poor inchworm, they're cute when they move.
As always great pics!
Abosolutely, but it's baby needs to eat too! :P
Thanks for your continued support!
@mweich that's true and they also help farmers a lot
specially in early winter. They tend to stay longer than bees?
Perhaps, their prey might give them a bit more time as they aren't dependent on flowers. We still have plenty of cosmos blooming though it is nearing the end of the season.
@mweich! cosmos are beautiful!
specially a whole field of 'em!
Your focus is so great on all three of these photos. How many photos did you take to get these three choice ones? I really like the shot of the wasp walking with the caterpillar. She is doing a lot of work!
Thank you! I take a lot of pictures to get the focus and composition just right. It's part of the challenge and part of the fun! Yes, I think that the wasp is slightly going out of the focal area in that shot gives a strong sense of motion and really helps tell the story of that frame. Parents will do anything for their kids, no mountain is too big to move!