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Introducing the Garuda, a wasp found in the Mekongga Mountains in southeastern Sulawesi, Indonesia.
Wasps are common in the area, but the Garuda proved to be a bit extraordinary — at 2.5 inches long … with jaws that are longer than its legs.
The bug was discovered by Lynn Kimsey, professor of entomology at the University of California, Davis. She writes that the Garuda’s jaws are “so large they wrap up either side of the head when closed.”
Kimsey writes that the bug will be named after the Garuda, the “King of Birds” and national symbol of Indonesia. In Indonesian culture, Garuda is a warrior that is part human, part eagle.
She notes the the wasp’s headgear-like jaws are likely used for protection and are “big enough to wrap around the female’s thorax and hold her during mating.”
Nice.
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