Sounds deadly right? Yup, your right! But I probably didn’t have to tell you that. At a lifespan of about one year the Dementor Wasp lives along the Mekong River located in South-east Asia. Its size varies from 9.5 to 11mm and weighs from 1-1.2 grams. The color of its body is a reddish-orange and black. Its diet consists of cockroaches and its predators are reptiles and birds. Its top speed is 40 kph (25 mph). Now, that is fast!
There is only one species and its conservation status is threatened. It also mimics ants. It is a parasitoid. It preys on cockroaches; then incubates its eggs inside them, and feeds on them. Now, here comes the weird part. To kill its prey, the Dementor Wasp injects venom into the cockroach’s head by biting it. This renders it into a passive zombie, which means that the cockroach is capable of movement but is unable to direct its own body. So, the cockroach is now a zombie-like creature with no free will. The Dementor Wasp then drags stupefied prey by its antennae, so, the cockroach walks with the wasp with no struggle. They go to a safe shelter where the Dementor Wasp eats the cockroach and lays its eggs in the cockroach.
Head over to the Mekong River if you want to see this bad boy in action. But beware of you run the risk of turning into a zombie.
