The Bug That Wears Its Victims Like Armor

With a name like the assassin bug, you can be sure this is one tough insect. As it turns out though, the assassin bug doesn't just kill and eat its victims—it also wears their exoskeletons as part of its suit of armor. In a way, this Malaysian bug is probably the closest thing the insect world has to a deranged serial killer.

But the assassin doesn't just glue its trophies to its back in an attempt to show off the number of kills it has made. The bodies actually provide the creature with a suit of easily removed armor that is meant to intimidate larger insects that might otherwise consider the assassin bug a tasty treat. Better still, if another bug does try to attack, the bodies will peel off, leaving the predator with nothing but a bunch of already-eaten insect cadavers.

Image courtesy of rizalis' Flickr stream