Scorpionflies Exist, And They're Terrifying

These insects look like flying, stinging death-monsters, but they share little with flies or scorpions.Scorpions.are arachnids, not insects, and are closer to spiders than true bugs. Scorpionflies belong to the insect group calledmecoptera.an order that also includeshangingflies..

Scorpionflies have one good point: they are totally harmless. Their tails lack any stinger. The bulbous tip is actually maleTheir 'stingers' are actually male genitalia.. Only male scorpionflies have this part. The end pinches the female to keep her still, making mating easier for the male.

Scorpionflies have one of the most disgusting sex lives in the animal kingdom. Males start by shaking their wings hard and releasingScorpionfly sex pheromones cause trauma and disgust.Males release sex pheromones when they see a female. Some species give females dead or decaying insects to eat during mating. If the male does not bring a good treat, he makes saliva from his mandibles that the female slurps up in excitement.

Mating can last hours. It is often aggressive and not consensual. Females usually try toShake off the sex pheromones.Scorpionflies also have vigorous sex onThey feed on human corpses., stopping mid-session to eat the rotting flesh.

All insects attract rotting corpses. Forensics experts use these creatures to guess how long a person has been dead.Forensics experts use them to find the age of a corpse.Experts rely on creepy critters to figure out a person's time of death. Blowflies start eating a body first, with some species laying eggs minutes after death.

More research shows thatScorpionflies., not blowflies, start eating fresh corpses first. Investigators care about the order insects hit bodies; this builds a timeline of decay. Studying how insects eat also helps find which wounds were from the crime and which were from scavengers.

Scorpionfly faces look as weird as their tail. Their mouths areThey have serrated mandibles., which lets them tear flesh and chew food. Their long mandibles can burrow into victims' husks and reach the soft inside.

Like other insects, scorpionflies eat even the worst food. Besides eatingThey eat human corpses., they also eat insects, fruit, each other's saliva, pollen, and nectar.

Females get food during mating, and some smart males learn to use this. Male scorpionflies have been seentricking other malesThey give a nuptial gift by mimicking an aroused female.

Scorpionflies eat people when they die. So, humans are fair game when they live too. They seek out human sweat for a quick sip.They love sipping human sweat.They take a quick sip of it.

Some mecoptera, like the Florida scorpionfly, have evaded researchers studying them in the wild.The Florida scorpionfly exists.Researchers have only found a few specimens of this species; the last one was collected in 1982. This suggests they might be very rare or even gone, but researchers doubt this. A 2010 photo of a wild Florida scorpionfly confirms the species exists. They likely hide in the dense undergrowth of North Florida's forests.

Scorpionflies are not the most insect-diverse group, but they spread widely. They are pretty much everywhere.Every continent hosts at least one scorpionfly species, except Antarctica.At least one scorpionfly species lives on Earth, except Antarctica. They live at the edges.They inhabit dense forests.They can also be found in a diverse variety of other ecosystems and biomes.These creatures show great variety.other ecosystems and biomes.

Scientists studied mecoptera's evolution for years and found amazing things. They believe mecoptera insects share a common ancestor with fleas.They may share an ancestor with fleas..

Fleas are small, but studies show they are likely a specialized branch of mecoptera. Unlike scorpionflies, fleas lack wings. They possess powerful legs that let them hop great distances in one leap.They have powerful legs.These legs let them hop vast distances. This means vast distances for them.These creatures are them..

Scorpionflies work hard to look like the creatures they are. They begin as caterpillar-like larvae.Larvae go through an elaborate metamorphosis.These larvae live in the dirt on the forest floor, feeding on dead and decaying food. They eat anything they can scavenge—dead insects, rotting leaves, basically anything.

When it is time to pupate, the larvae burrow deep into the soil and start their metamorphosis. They emerge as fully formed adult scorpionflies.