- 7 hours ago
Some interesting things about scary insects! Wasps, spiders, hornets! Do these names still scare you? Don't worry, but you better check out this video!
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00:01You're walking along the riverbank.
00:03It's quiet, save for the water's peaceful burbling.
00:06The hot Georgia sun beats down on your neck.
00:09That's when you notice something strange on the ground.
00:13Looks like a quarter-sized black coin with a weird pattern on it.
00:17You bend over for a closer look.
00:19Is it a coin?
00:21This thing looks like an ancient seal with a symbol carved in it.
00:24It's probably from some long-lost civilization.
00:27You could sell it and make a fortune.
00:30You crouch down on one knee to pick up your newfound treasure.
00:34As soon as your finger touches it, you pull your hand back as fear wells in your gut.
00:39It's hairy.
00:41You go to pick it up again, digging your nails in the dirt around it to pull it out of
00:46the ground.
00:46That's when it moves.
00:49Your heart jumps in your throat.
00:51It's pounding so hard you can feel it in your head.
00:53The fear turns to horror when the coin wiggles its way out of the ground.
00:59It's no ancient treasure.
01:00It's a huge spider.
01:02A ravine trapdoor spider, to be precise.
01:05This hard, coin-looking growth on the back of its body serves as a shield.
01:10The eight-legged terrors burrow into the ground and plug it like a cork,
01:15so hungry enemies can't get to them.
01:17Or, you know, giant confused humans like you.
01:20The spider is venomous, but its bite isn't toxic to humans.
01:25Ooh, lucky you.
01:26But I didn't say you wouldn't feel it.
01:29Best stay away from those sizable pincer-like fangs.
01:32Ow!
01:33Well, so much for your riches.
01:35Perhaps fortune awaits you in Mexico's Baja California Peninsula.
01:40You're walking on dried-up ground when you notice a long white stripe up ahead.
01:45You get closer.
01:46Oh, looks like a super-long worm, you think to yourself.
01:50But it doesn't move like any worm you've ever seen.
01:54That's when you see it has arms.
01:57And a head!
01:58This pale creature with black, beady eyes is a Mexican mole lizard.
02:03It lives in the ground where all its dinner of insects and termites hang out.
02:07It rarely comes out, so you're pretty lucky to have seen this bizarre reptile.
02:12Now, you're in a rainforest in northeastern Australia.
02:17Ahead, half-hidden among the trees, you notice something large and round.
02:22This mysterious figure lying on the ground is covered in black hair.
02:27At first, you think it's a bear curled up sleeping.
02:30But that wouldn't make any sense.
02:32There are no bears down under.
02:34You're getting closer when a twig snaps under your foot.
02:38The thing hears you and springs to its legs.
02:41It turns to you, and you now see this is a bizarre and beautiful bird.
02:46That black hair is actually a thick coat of long, fine feathers.
02:51This formidable fowl has a bright blue head with a large horn on top.
02:56It stands on two powerful legs with a dagger-like claw on each foot that can be as long as
03:02your hand.
03:03Take away those feathers, and you might mistake this thing for a velociraptor.
03:08But it's actually a cassowary, the most dangerous bird in the world.
03:12It could jump straight over your head if it wanted to.
03:15Definitely high enough to kick you in the chest.
03:18And its blows are strong enough to break bone.
03:21Not to mention that claw that can cut through anything like butter.
03:24This bird was made to hunt and avoid being hunted.
03:28Don't even consider running away.
03:30Not unless you too can sprint over 30 miles per hour.
03:34Diving into that lake over there won't save you either.
03:37This bird is an excellent swimmer.
03:39Best just to back away slowly and hope it doesn't come after you.
03:44Another creature that proves it's best to keep your hands to yourself is the panda ant.
03:49The naming is obvious.
03:50It's black and white and furry, like the beloved bamboo-chewing bear.
03:55This furry little bugger lives in the forests of Chile.
03:59But don't go to pet this fluffy little ant.
04:02What you're looking at is no ant at all.
04:04It's a species of wasp.
04:07That black and white coloring serves one purpose.
04:09To warn others of this insect's powerful sting.
04:13And if that doesn't make you back away, the wasp will let out a squeaking sound.
04:18It sounds cute to us humans, but it means a painful sting is around the corner.
04:23These insects are loners.
04:25They don't live in colonies and don't have nests.
04:28They're also parasites.
04:30A female panda ant lays eggs next to the larvae of another insect.
04:35Then, the hatched babies use these larvae as food.
04:39Surely, you've seen bugs that look like leaves and twigs.
04:42But what about a creature that looks like a beautiful orchid?
04:46You can find this fragrant flower in the forest or a green field among other plants.
04:51But make sure that's a flower you're leaning in toward to smell.
04:55If it's not, you risk being bitten by a praying mantis.
05:00The orchid mantis is nearly impossible to distinguish among the flowers.
05:04It has pink-white coloring with legs and claws that look identical to little petals.
05:09It uses its resemblance to the plant to hide from predators and hunt insects that love these flowers.
05:16A butterfly or a bee flies up to the flower when one of the petals starts moving.
05:21The unsuspecting meal might take it as simply the wind.
05:25But then the petal turns into a sharp claw that suddenly grabs the insect.
05:31Now imagine you're in the jungles of Costa Rica.
05:34You notice a brown snake sitting on a tree branch in front of your face.
05:39The snake looks like it's about to strike.
05:41Wow, you want to run away as far as possible.
05:44But notice that this snake is unusually short.
05:47And it doesn't lash out at you.
05:50You wait, but the snake keeps staring at you.
05:53It doesn't even hiss.
05:54Lucky for you, it'll never bite because it's not a snake, but a caterpillar.
06:00The hawk-moth caterpillar can change the shape of its body to look like a menacing serpent.
06:05This easily scares away any hungry foes.
06:09The coloring and pattern on the skin imitates a snake's scales and eyes.
06:13This insect also knows how to move like a reptile.
06:17A master of disguise, this one!
06:20Let's get out of the hot jungle and head to Central Europe.
06:23You're in the middle of a sunny green meadow.
06:26Colorful flowers bloom around.
06:28Birds sing and bees buzz by.
06:31Among the bees, some are not what they seem.
06:35You'd hardly be able to distinguish the imposters.
06:37But if you look really closely, you'll see the golden bee fly moving through the air.
06:43It looks like a bumblebee, but it's the buzzer's biggest enemy.
06:47The golden bee fly sneaks into bee nests and lays eggs there.
06:51Its larvae hatch and feed on the bees and flower nectar.
06:56The yellow and black coloring allows the intruder to go undetected the whole time.
07:01The camouflage also keeps enemies away.
07:04Nothing would touch this fly if it thinks it'll get a bumblebee sting.
07:08The next spot on your journey is the rainforest in southern Thailand.
07:13Now, be extra careful and watch your step.
07:16Not because the next animal is poisonous or bites, but because you might actually step on it.
07:23The leaves from the trees have fallen and turned a gray-brown hue.
07:27Among these leaves, it's tough to distinguish the Malaysian horned leaf frog.
07:32Its body shape, coloring, and especially those pointy growths coming out above its eyes
07:38all allow this amphibian to hide perfectly among the fallen foliage.
07:43This frog can sit for hours in one place, waiting for its next meal to come close enough to...
07:50Now you're in a garden.
07:51You see a beautiful bright flower and a small bird hovering near it.
07:56The bird flaps its wings so quickly you can hardly see them.
08:00And that long, needle-like beak makes you immediately assume you're looking at a hummingbird.
08:05But as soon as you get closer, you realize this is not a bird, but an insect.
08:11Fortunately, the hummingbird hawk moth isn't venomous and doesn't sting.
08:16It's just a lovely little creature that decorates the garden with its presence.
08:21Many people even grow plants rich in nectar to attract these moths.
08:25Hey, that's an idea!
08:29You're partying in the backyard with your friends.
08:32Some people are tossing a frisbee around, but it ends up behind your shed.
08:36One of your friends heads over there to fetch it, but she notices something that looks like a giant ball.
08:42When trying to get the frisbee, she sees some wasps buzzing around.
08:46Little did you know, there was a giant wasp nest right in your backyard.
08:51Your friend runs back and rushes inside your house.
08:54Everyone's confused and watches her sprint out of nowhere.
08:57Then you see a swarm of wasps invading the party.
09:01You and your friends freak out and rush inside until your living room is completely cramped up.
09:06Everyone looks outside in frustration as wasps take over your party.
09:11They land on the snacks and grilled food.
09:14They're completely covering the entire backyard.
09:17You have no choice but to send everyone home and clean up.
09:21Wasps aren't usually dangerous unless provoked.
09:24But still, it's better to avoid them at all costs.
09:27You call pest control to report the hive, and all you can do is sit and wait for them to
09:32arrive.
09:33Looks like one wasp managed to get inside the house.
09:36Everyone panics and knocks over your furniture and stuff.
09:39You open the front door to let them out.
09:42The best way to detect if a wasp nest is around is by observing their flight patterns.
09:47If you see one of them constantly flying back to a certain spot, then chances are a hive is just
09:53around the corner.
09:54Oh boy.
09:55And keep an eye out if you see more than one of these stingers.
09:59Some wasps are known to travel solo, but they also live together in colonies.
10:05Wasps have an amazing engineering instinct.
10:08They build their nests mainly out of wood fibers mixed with their saliva.
10:11They turn it into paper-like material and make hexagon-shaped constructions.
10:16They find wood pieces from trees, or if they live near humans, then from fences, window sills, and anything of
10:22the sort.
10:23The pest control arrives wearing protective gear, looking like they're about to save the world.
10:29You sit back and watch them do things.
10:31You finally see the nest after they extracted it.
10:34And good thing it was just in your backyard.
10:36There have been reports of wasp nests inside homes of people, behind closets, inside garages, and even on the top
10:44of their windows.
10:45They're technically outside, but you wouldn't open a window for a breath of fresh air.
10:50Like most pest controllers, your rescuers took out the nest the size of a football and relocated to another, safer
10:57area in the wild.
10:59Wasps are actually nature's pest controllers.
11:02Not all insects dare to mess with them.
11:04But wasps just end up preying upon anything that comes their way.
11:08In fact, some farmers praise their work and keep them around their crops to protect them.
11:13But at least you can go back outside and throw an even better party than before.
11:19Better fire up that grill.
11:21In April 1963, a farm in a remote area had to deal with the largest known wasp nest.
11:28It weighed so much that it actually fell from the tree it was hanging on and split into two.
11:33The whole thing was around 12 feet long, that's the size of a Volkswagen Beetle, and 5 feet in diameter,
11:40as tall as a fridge.
11:41I wouldn't want to have a romantic picnic under that tree.
11:45You're going on a nice little hike in the northeastern region of Brazil, when suddenly you realize something doesn't feel
11:53right.
11:53No, it's not your stomach, so you're fine.
11:56But just the landscape.
11:57It feels off.
11:59Like you're standing on something ancient.
12:02You see a group of scientists pointing at you to move.
12:05At first, you can't really understand what they're saying, but then you realize you're standing on a large termite mill.
12:13You know, those insects that love nibbling on wood so much, they build their entire lives around it?
12:18And even though termites have a colony mentality like ants and bees, they're actually related to cockroaches.
12:25Termites are mainly found in North and South America, but also have traces in Europe and Asia.
12:30You can credit that to humans for transporting them all around in ships and crates.
12:35Anything wooden they could get their hands on, or rather their jaws.
12:40So, after moving from the mill, you realize you notice many mills resembling the one you were standing on as
12:46far as the eye can see.
12:48You rush over to them to try to make sense of it, and they tell you that you're standing on
12:53an enormous complex of 200 million termite mounds.
12:57Even though many of these mills are around 10 feet tall, many of them create a beautiful scene.
13:04According to scientists, they might be up to 4,000 years old and are visible from a satellite in the
13:09sky.
13:10These mills cover the size of Great Britain.
13:13That's an equivalent of discovering 4,000 Great Pyramids of Giza if you were just a tiny termite.
13:19And, although abandoned, these mills aren't active nests, but an entire network of interconnecting tunnels.
13:27Scientists are still searching for answers about this entire termite supercolony, but so far, no more details could be found.
13:34They still haven't found a queen chamber, and by the size of it, it doesn't look like it'll happen anytime
13:40soon.
13:43Termites are actually resourceful creatures, but can do a lot of harm to human-made structures, and even crops and
13:49plantations.
13:50Since termites have migrated with people overseas, many of them aren't accustomed to the natural environment around them.
13:56So, they end up seeking shelter in anything, including houses and buildings.
14:01Termites are responsible for many property destructions, and even collapsing of wooden structures.
14:07If you have a cabin in the woods with much of your furniture made of wood, you're basically setting an
14:12open buffet for these pests.
14:14But since these creatures feast on wood, aka cellulose, they can break it down into substances that are spread all
14:22around to support other plant growth in the ecosystem.
14:27You're walking around in the open savanna enjoying the nice warm sun, when, in an instant, the entire sun is
14:34blocked.
14:35And these aren't thick, dark clouds about to drop some rain on you.
14:39You look closely, and after noticing some of its weird movements, you find out it's a huge swarm of locusts.
14:46Probably the biggest you've ever seen.
14:48In 2020, East Africa saw an invasion of locusts that can cover an area three times the size of New
14:55York City.
14:56These waves of swarms hit East Africa, the Arabian Peninsula, and the Middle East, eating away crops that fed entire
15:03populations.
15:05Scientists claim that this is the biggest locust invasion in the last 50 years.
15:09Locusts are considered to be the worst pests.
15:13Now, an individual locust doesn't seem too bad.
15:16Even two.
15:17They look rather harmless and eat a tiny bit of vegetation.
15:20But when about 80 million of these bugs get together, well, it's not good news.
15:26With those numbers, it's no wonder the whole world stops and pays attention to them when they're on the loose.
15:32It took so much effort to control them, but in many cases, the rescue was too late.
15:37So, after seeing such a mega-swarm heading your way, you seek shelter.
15:42But these creatures can cut through anything.
15:44You find a small shack to hide in, but as soon as they fly by, it's like living through a
15:50hurricane.
15:51Ah, the coast is clear.
15:52You look outside and see everything around toppled over and eaten away.
15:57All those crops, completely gone.
16:00You can finally see the sun again, but the swarm is on the loose.
16:04Another insect that got famous and caused all kinds of trouble in 2020 was the Asian hornet.
16:10Scientists claim these creatures aren't aggressive towards humans unless provoked.
16:15But they can be really violent toward honeybees.
16:18The hornets can ruin entire hives in a matter of hours.
16:22Tiny honeybees can't do much to protect themselves from full-grown 2-inch monsters.
16:29Now, in the unfortunate situation where you may be in danger of having a run-in with one of the
16:35many dangerous animals,
16:36the last thing you want to worry about is not being able to see them.
16:40Let's take a look at some of these sneaky hunters who have mastered the art of camouflage.
16:45You know what an anagram of the word sneaky is?
16:49Try snaky.
16:50Yep, snakes definitely have the ability to bite you before you even know there's one nearby.
16:56And wow, do they like to bite us.
16:58There's an estimated 4.5 million people bitten by snakes each year.
17:02Unfortunately for humans, the snake with the highest venom yield, which is the amount of venom held in the venom
17:09glands at a time,
17:10is also an expert in discreteness.
17:13Allow me to introduce you to the Gaboon Viper.
17:16Nope, stay back.
17:17This species of snake can be found in the subtropical forests and savannas of Western Africa,
17:23including the Ivory Coast, Ghana, Guinea, Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Togo.
17:28Oh, that's a lot of snakes.
17:29They typically grow to a length of about 4 to 6 feet and can weigh from 20 to 25 pounds.
17:35This makes it one of the largest and heaviest vipers.
17:38And I'm not just saying this for dramatic effect,
17:41but the species also has the largest fangs of any venomous snake.
17:45They often measure 2 inches long or more and fold up against the roof of the snake's mouth when not
17:51in use.
17:51Have I made the Gaboon Viper sound terrifying?
17:55If I'm yet to do so, now might be a good time to let you know that the creature has
18:00enlarged scales on its nose
18:02that look like a pair of horns, just to go along with its wide triangular head and vertical slit pupils.
18:09As an ambush animal, the creature likes to make the most of its brownish-gray mottled scales.
18:15The Bitis gabonica, its real scientific name and not a joke, is a nocturnal hunter
18:21and will lie perfectly still underneath leaves or plants on the forest floor
18:25and wait for its prey to pass by before striking.
18:29The snake is carnivorous.
18:31Its diet mostly includes rodents, birds, frogs, and lizards.
18:35Yum!
18:35Its hunting ability greatly benefits from this knack to blend in seamlessly with its surroundings.
18:40This even makes them capable of taking down larger animals, such as mongooses and hares.
18:47Needless to say, that if you do manage to spot a Gaboon Viper while strolling around Western Africa,
18:53there are only two things you need to think about.
18:56The first thing, don't pet it.
18:58Actually, run away from it.
18:59Although slow-moving and sluggish, these snakes do have one of the fastest bite strikes around,
19:05and their head can move between 175 and 200 miles per hour during an attack.
19:10Oh, and the second thing is that maybe you should hire someone to walk ahead of you, just in case.
19:16Thankfully, though, bites from the creatures are very rare,
19:19as the Gaboon Viper is much calmer than other dangerous snakes, such as the Puff Adder or Black Mamba.
19:26This doesn't mean you shouldn't be careful.
19:28When bites do occur, it often happens when a human foot accidentally steps on the creature.
19:33Because, as we now know, they're not the easiest thing to see.
19:36For the unlucky ones who do get bitten, it's really serious.
19:41The Gaboon Viper's venom is extremely dangerous if not countered by an antidote within two to four hours.
19:47Okay, so you might have guessed that a lot of snakes would use the art of camouflage to their advantage,
19:53given that they're low to the ground and not especially wide or tall.
19:57Why don't we look at a bigger creature that you may think you have no trouble spotting?
20:01Speaking of spots, how about a leopard?
20:04Leopards are found in many parts of the world across Africa, parts of the Middle East, and Asia,
20:09including China, India, and eastern Russia.
20:12On average, they can weigh anywhere between 110 and 200 pounds
20:17and be as long as 7 feet, excluding their 3-foot-long tail.
20:22Typically yellow in color on top and white on the bottom,
20:25leopards have dark spots arranged in what looks like rosettes all over their body.
20:30The different design patterns of these spots have confirmed the existence of several different races of leopards.
20:37Black leopards are perfectly equipped for stalking other animals during the night
20:41whilst lurking in the shadows, thanks to their all-black fur coat.
20:45But you might have thought the spotted coats of the other leopards would actually make them quite easy to notice.
20:51This isn't the case.
20:53In environments where there are lots of light and dark patches of different sizes and shapes,
20:58it helps to have a lot of spots, splotches, or stripes.
21:01Just think about the sun-dappled areas of the African outback
21:04and how the animal could use them to their advantage.
21:07As if they needed any more abilities to allow them to behave in an annoyingly stealthy manner,
21:13leopards are also agile tree climbers.
21:16In other words, they can also stalk you from above.
21:19So what animals get tricked by the leopards' camouflage skills?
21:22Well, anything it can overpower, from small rodents to water bucks.
21:27But leopards generally hunt smaller and medium-sized antelopes and deer.
21:31Thankfully, all of the big cat species that you may encounter during a safari in Africa,
21:37leopards are seen as the least likely to attack a human.
21:40Most instances of dangerous encounters between leopards and humans
21:43happen when the animal is weakened and unable to hunt.
21:47So it has to take whatever it can get.
21:49It doesn't mean that you shouldn't keep your eyes open, really open,
21:53given their ability to hide, if you're in an area known to house leopards.
21:57No point trying to run away from an animal that can reach a speed of up to 35 miles per
22:02hour.
22:03Interestingly, this is actually slower than the top speed of most of the animals it hunts,
22:07which again speaks to the leopard's ability to sneak around.
22:11There are a lot of reasons why the leopard's coat works to its advantage from a camouflage perspective.
22:16But you know where this might not be too effective?
22:19How about the snow-white arctic?
22:22There, you might not notice a certain pair of eyes, nose, and footpads coming towards you,
22:26because the rest of the owner's body blends in with your surroundings.
22:30The owner in question is the polar bear.
22:33Yep, the polar bear can camouflage itself to its environment so well
22:37that it can actually pass as a snowdrift.
22:40What's super surprising about this is that the animal's coat isn't even white.
22:44The polar bear's fur is yellow, and its skin is actually black.
22:49Polar bears use their camouflage to their advantage not only for hunting, but also for their own protection.
22:55This is weird to think about, given that polar bears are the largest bear species and land carnivores in the
23:00world.
23:01They can weigh up to 1,300 pounds and measure up to 5 feet tall on all fours or nearly
23:0610 feet when standing up.
23:08Despite being hard to spot because of their fur, it's the art of patience that polar bears prefer to use
23:14when seeking out food.
23:15A common hunting method used by the bear is simply keeping perfectly still by a seal's breathing hole,
23:21and often not just for hours, but for days.
23:25Sometimes this patient goes without reward.
23:27And even when a seal comes up for a breath, its slippery body means that, on average,
23:33polar bears only catch one out of every five seals they come across.
23:37Well, there's nothing wrong with taking matters into your own hands, or, in this case, paws.
23:42Polar bears are very capable swimmers and can also hunt in the water.
23:47They can reach a speed of 6 miles per hour by paddling with their front paws and holding their hind
23:52legs flat like a rudder.
23:53Their paws are slightly webbed to help them swim.
23:56They're typically able to hold their breath underwater for up to 30 seconds.
24:01Luckily, interactions between polar bears and humans are very rare.
24:05Between 1870 and 2014, there were only 73 documented dangerous meetings between the two species.
24:12As with leopards and gaboon vipers, we would have to go out of our way to find one.
24:18The problem is that there's a good chance they'll find us first if we do.
24:22Some creatures don't even use the art of camouflage.
24:24They're just so small that you can't see them.
24:27This is the case with a species of jellyfish known as the common kingslayer or malo kingai.
24:34This creature typically grows up to an inch and a quarter in size.
24:37You can compare it to the size of a human thumbnail.
24:41Imagine being underneath the ocean and trying to spot something that small.
24:45The common kingslayer has four tentacles surrounded by tissue that resembles a halo.
24:50You can find this jellyfish mostly in Australian waters.
24:53The creature actually got its name from an unfortunate encounter with an American tourist named Robert King,
25:00who was visiting Australia, went swimming, and got slayed, I guess.
25:05Whilst you might think that jellyfish just float around aimlessly in the ocean all day,
25:10most of them are actually active hunters, and the kingslayer is no different.
25:14This creature even has eyes equipped with lenses, corneas, and retinas.
25:19They allow the jellyfish to see actual images, rather than just tell the difference between areas of light and dark.
25:25Despite being so small, the kingslayer is extremely venomous, as the poor Mr. King found out.
25:32Upon contact, it shoots its venom into other animals' bloodstream via its dart-like stinging cells located inside the tentacles.
25:39Thankfully, the kingslayer isn't seeking out interaction with people.
25:44However, an estimated 150 million people are stung by all kinds of jellyfish every year.
25:50So, it's best to be on the lookout whenever you're underwater.