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Robber Fly

Insects

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Robber flies are aggressive predatory flies of the family Asilidae, found in open, sunny habitats worldwide, recognized by a stout, bristly body and a dense mustache of hairs on the face that is thought to protect the head while subduing struggling prey. They hunt other flying insects, sometimes ones larger than themselves, ambushing them in midair and stabbing them with a short, hardened proboscis that injects paralyzing and digestive saliva before the fly drains the liquefied contents.

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