Robber Fly facts: aka assassin flies | Animal Fact Files

[@andrewsinclair7159]

I used to collect insects when I was a kid, and one time I caught a robber fly and yellow jacket in the same tupperware container. I left it alone for a minute and I was worried that the yellow jacket might go after the robber fly (which I didn't know much about). When I came back, the yellow jacket was in pieces all over the inside of the tupperware. The robber fly had basically ripped it apart and sucked out all the juice. I have to say, I was impressed.

[@HeliPotter2000]

Robber Flies are badass, they are if not one of the fastest and possibly strongest bug in the world.

[@jaguarlegoanimations9826]

​@@HeliPotter2000dragonflies are the fastest

[@tjahajasuryadinata4432]

Yellow jacket got robbed

[@1998topornik]

Exactly@@tjahajasuryadinata4432

[@youngspaghettii]

​@@jaguarlegoanimations9826I'm pretty sure that either tiger beetles or springtails are generally considered to be the fastest bugs depending on what you're measuring (farthest distance over a period of time or farthest distance in the shortest time frame)

[@heywhatsup5602]

i just saw a robber fly for the first time the other day thinking it was a baby dragonfly and i forgot that baby dragonflies don’t have wings and live in water. i just saw another robber fly today! same kind! black and fuzzy!

[@AnimalFactFiles]

Nice find!

[@voidinoobi2405]

Same happened to me today and i thought the same thing!

[@darwinspirithawkwhitt4847]

I took a picture of one and posted it to Facebook for identity,, I had heard of them till a week ago in West Virginia and it was eating a bumblebee

[@RabbitHorse777]

A robber fly came up to me and said, "give me your money !" and I said, "buzz off !" and it did.

[@ビビくん-v1w]

When I first saw them I thought they where giant Amazon mosquitoes 😂😂

[@Ravikv]

Daily dose Of Internet?

[@theworthysoul]

*EL MOSCO*

[@ClipCoyote]

They are some of my favorite camping companions. They appear anywhere the flies bother me to do God's work. They are very calm and unwilling to bite people unless really pushed. I have actually gently pet several of them and they allow it.

[@SpaceMissile]

definitely going to pet one next time i see one. 😅

[@ClipCoyote]

@@SpaceMissile gently and slow most the big ones won't even try to fly away

[@SpaceMissile]

@@ClipCoyote I literally just did it. He looked at me like 😒 but was pretty chill

[@jiveafro2612]

You have balls of steel these things scare me

[@darwinspirithawkwhitt4847]

Well I don't like them that much but yeah killing flies and mosquitoes is cool lol

[@Matticus898]

Yeah seen some of the more wicked one of those in mid August on my porch, it was on the railing hanging out and looking a tree that had flowers all over it because of the bees; I didnt know what it was, so I went in the house...... kept seeing them and i couldn't find out what they are; seen some once in a while feeding a bee it caught, its leaves the carpenter bees alone though (to big), then i seen one catch a yellow jacket and it was flying slowly toward me like a helicopter loosing control swinging back and fourth, with the yellow jackets legs wiggling around......I went back in the house now i know what they are so im cool with them....but man they look wicked at least the ones i see around where i live Then sometime later i bought some nice yellow jogging pants, so now when i sit outside, its the exact same shade and texture of flower pollen, and get visitors now.....so i go back in the house again, then think "why did i buy pollen pants?"

[@JasongCLJ]

lol cool .

[@quetzalcoatlz]

You sure do go "back in the house," quite often.

[@marioalbertofernandez9225]

I saw one outside the house of my grandmother once, it was eating a fly.

[@untamedpastina5]

yummy

[@gingerself869]

That is one critter I’m terrified of. Traumatized as a kid as one landed on me while I was riding my bike and I wrecked my bike in the middle of the street. I appreciate them but they creep me out.

[@MrMorrowman]

I was working outside and 3 yellowjackeks messing with me. Then seen my first robber fly grab a YJ in mid air and drop him and waited near by. Another YJ flew by and the robber fly grabbed that one..then grabbed another. Next thing I know,no more YJ in the area.

[@andrewsinclair7159]

I put a robber fly in a tupperware with a yellow jacket when I was a kid. I left the tupperware alone for like five minutes and when I came back, the yellow jacket was completely ripped to bits.

[@Emmybear617]

1:50 did it poop 🤣🤣im so immature

[@Yas-rr8ke]

Oh yeah...

[@milacruz3970]

It was laying eggs

[@Euph_-v-]

I learned about robber flies by seeing one out in the backyard and watching it catch and kill a smaller housefly out of the air. They are the coolest family of flies to me now. They are also fuzzy and cute.

[@okamijubei]

0:32 Is it just me or it looks like that fly have something sinister in his mind and have a sinister idea?

[@kayyrose7303]

I seen Robber Flies Attack potato bugs here in Florida. It's sad but interesting to watch. The first time I seen it happen the potato bug looked like it was running for its life...I was confused and concerned for the little guy. Didn't know exactly why he was running until WHAMM! The Robber Fly took him down like a lioness taking down its prey. I was in total shock. I left because I didn't want to be next 😂 Told my daughter's dad he has a whole safari in his garden 😫

[@maggiemccauslin1084]

They got to eat but you do feel bad for the bugs they go after though

[@chrishart2493]

I live in the northern countryside of Okinawa and i always wondered what these were! They are everywhere during summer. Thanks for the great info!

[@AnimalFactFiles]

You're most welcome! ❤️

[@okamijubei]

They have robber flies over there?

[@wikipediaintellectual7088]

2:55 What is he doi-oh no.

[@roysmith1149]

I never knew what their name was. But I've seen them bigger than two inches long here in Kentucky. Thanks for the video with great content

[@AnimalFactFiles]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@KittieriRavynVlogs]

I just saw this thing outside the window and was like “Great, what this time Alabama!?” I Florida had the most stuff to be scared of.

[@JukesMcGee]

Robber flies are my favorite insect of all time!

[@AnimalFactFiles]

That's so awesome! Hope you enjoyed the video!

[@d.k.1394]

Same here

[@a.N.....]

Then you leave us with that last clip of them getting down.

[@dragonballzgt1989]

they also sound like little biplanes

[@SusanTaylor-uy8zi]

Thank you for the informative video! We saw a robber fly today, eating a yellow jacket.

[@beccadolls]

I just found one of these in my garden, how cool

[@egg7247]

I got bit by one of these recently, it was in my house somehow. It was on my slipper and bit when I put it on without looking. The bite felt like a bee sting then itched for 2 days. I identified it as a red Diogmites robber fly

[@mariamartinez86]

What did you do? Did you have to go to the hospital?

[@egg7247]

@@mariamartinez86 No. I monitored it and nothing bad came of it, just pain and itchiness for a long time

[@johncrockett4468]

Very good video. I filmed what I think is a robber fly appearing to do loops over the ground and I am sure it was collecting something from the ground or hunting small ants. It was quite extraordinary. Great video with super explanation of natural gistory of the creatures. Thankyou.

[@patriciseeyou6531]

This *"fly"* looks like mosquitos in Australia

[@andrewsinclair7159]

Mosquitos are part of the fly order as well, actually.

[@patriciseeyou6531]

Dang...never knew about that actually

[@bigslimm7]

Just saw one holding a paper wasp yesterday, so I had to come do some more research 😌 I was surprised about how close u can get to them whole while have prey and they still don't even fly away

[@SwabJockeyJim]

Thank you! I’ve seen these in Florida for years, and had no bloody clue what they were! It look like a “horse mosquito” or something. I’ve seen them catch and carry yellow jackets, and other wasp like creatures.

[@michaelwineberger6910]

I also saw a robber fly today. He was perching on a table and a chair later on at the pool but I was going to.

[@1998topornik]

Robber flies - the most badass kind of fly.

[@darchandarchan7036]

when the robber fly does its 🙏thing, it’s truly intimidating

[@mountainmover777]

I suggest you look into Snakeflies. They are like tiny dragons(even though they aren't really flies)!

[@AmandaA-zf3qo]

So, I rescued a robberfly from my bird pool. I didn't know what it was. I live in the woods and there are so many strange bugs. I let him sit on me and dry off. I let him go by my other window away from the water. Every night for a few nights I would go out and he would land on me. He first flies around me and lands on my finger and just sits until he's bored. I call him handsome and talk to him. After all that I looked up what he was and that they bite really hard. It freaked me out. I hope I see him again. I haven't seen him in a few days now.

[@MariaL42709]

I always thought they were dragon flys but they live everywhere where I live because I live at a lake

[@egburtus]

I was walking in the woods on a trail that crosses a road. Just before I got on the road, I heard a distressed sounding insect wing/flight/buzzing sound. The next thing I know, two insects landed right in front of my feet. One was a cicada, obviously paraylzed, and now injured from a flightless fall. The other insect was a robber fly, stunned from impact, but soon started moving awkardly as it regained its composure. You had to go for the whale didn't ya?

[@sirraccs9584]

Literally just watched one catch and kill a fly, which caused me to look this up. These things are fucking cool

[@zachwashtub2250]

I probably killed a good few of these thinking they were some kind of biting or stinging insect as a kid

[@bleetscube4460]

A bite from these things hurts like hell. One landed on my shoulder once and I didn’t notice at first. It tickled and when I tried to scratch my shoulder I accidentally squished it a bit. It bit my thumb and that pain lasted for a whole day.

[@maggiemccauslin1084]

Yeah they normally don't bite unless something like that happens

[@GROOVE-WORLD]

Cool video!

[@AnimalFactFiles]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@marvalice3455]

But which one is the robber fly baron?

[@mariamartinez86]

I saw one today, and my first thought was that it could have escaped from a lab lol 😅 I never saw them before

[@anonymousperson6462]

If you want to hear him say "rubber fly" (or "rubber flies"), you probably can.

[@ayeeikeegaming2480]

I jus seen one at my job in Georgia, I thought it was a dangerous mosquito like the ones that really don’t come to play… he died tho it’s too hot in this place 😭😂

[@lonetrap]

This monstrosity lives in my worst nightmares

[@JamesNintendoNord]

Daily dose of internet...

[@chamachuchi]

Yes

[@d.k.1394]

Robber flies are naughty

[@smiles2054]

don't know if you heard of it but I wanna learn about frost fish

[@AnimalFactFiles]

We'll add that to our list! Thanks!

[@kevinbuchanan67]

Was that a successful mount at the end, or was that an attack?

[@nathanlyonproductions917]

What's the fly that looks like a house fly but with a skinny and long abdomen?

[@sargera1]

when yopur local flies cross breed with grasshoppers ( thank god its not botflies)

[@Stardenburgdenhardenbart]

I just thought this lil guy was cool as he!!

[@DanDaFreakinMan]

Scary

[@lex-zs2ey]

These are scary

[@jw870206]

0:32 Muahahahahaha!

[@Thatonelacrossedude]

just by looking at the thumnail i knew this was from australia

[@curcumin417]

Yeah but can their larvae live in the air?

[@georgejordan5611]

Is a robber fly the same as what we call a horsefly?

[@xx_shrek_kawaii_xx]

Nope. Horse Flies are a different group of flies that feed on blood. Robber flies feed on other insects including horse flies.

[@maggiemccauslin1084]

No

[@michaelsimko7694]

As for other insects, how about Cicadas, Fireflies, and Helgramites.

[@michaelp.4890]

I'm sure cicadas are covered.

[@AnimalFactFiles]

Actually we've covered all these animals! Here are some links for you: -cicada: kzbin.info/www/bejne/b2jahadtZpaeg7M -firefly: kzbin.info/www/bejne/mILCoIxsaJx6pqs -hellgrammite: kzbin.info/www/bejne/nKKrfWmNaNGDl5I Thanks for watching! Hope you enjoy!

[@StomerMadGermzOfficial]

Its like a mosquito but on Steroids 😂

[@germinieohmann3654]

Is there any rare ones?

[@thedarkpeasantfromtabs]

robber flies according to others giant mosquitoes according to kids or others that dont know

[@nickzimmer2753]

Hold up, with the EXCEPTION?? of south Africa? As in these things live in the arctic?

[@EliPoetica99]

Bruh this is actually flygon

[@braedenconroy1702]

2:00 did that fly just shit?

[@braedenconroy1702]

1:50 **

[@andrewsinclair7159]

Yes it did.

[@Iwatch2019cartoonsobsessively]

I run and scream whenever I see these things. They are terrifying. I love insects, but not these guys.

[@maggiemccauslin1084]

Why though they are harmless to us

[@afaithfulman.5129]

Their bite is painful

[@iliaadamanthark8336]

Correct me if I am wrong, but some robber fly love cow or horse blood. They sometimes bite human too.

[@xx_shrek_kawaii_xx]

​​@@iliaadamanthark8336 horse flies are the ones that drink blood.

[@EternalEmperorofZakuul]

Is there an origin for robberflies? Like who's the ancestor and why did it turn predatory

[@andrewsinclair7159]

It's actually hard to say because current evidence indicates that the superfamily to which robber flies belong (asiloidea) may not be entirely monophyletic (originating from a single ancestor), and some retooling of the phylogenic tree is currently going down.

[@chknnggt11]

I caught one of these on my balcony the other day on a sheet of paper and looked at it for a really long time I thought it was a wasp but immediately noticed how fly like it was I was pretty excited because I have never seen one before

[@dinolego757]

But the question is, can they beat Tarantula Hawk and Spider Wasp?

[@legynoiroso4496]

Probably

[@andrewsinclair7159]

They wouldn't have reason to beef. The wasps only go after spiders (which they do not actually eat), and the robber fly doesn't go after prey too big for it to carry. It wouldn't even know what to do with a tarantula hawk.

[@dreadway3]

Sometimes they end up as prey. Saw a video where an assassin bug had jumped one and was sucking him dry.

[@elijahxkenshin1751]

Ah you learn something new everyday huh, this just looks like it would hurt a human tbh im glad they dont

[@bobbyfranklin9412]

Who else is here from that fake mosquito video 😂

[@richardhanlon662]

i do not believe we have these in the UK

[@frankanddanasnyder3272]

Robber flies do not "bite"...

[@maggiemccauslin1084]

Only when they feel threatened in self defense

[@qolspony]

They are house flies on steroids.

[@michaelp.4890]

Why does the comment section of this channel attract so many bots? I reported.

[@AnimalFactFiles]

Thank you! I'm not sure why they're so bad. More get caught in the spam filters - it's crazy. I can't always keep up! Appreciate you looking out!

[@jokomangolo5040]

moster pemburu.penghisap kehidupan.sekali tertangkap tk bisa lepas dn dihisap sampai kering.hiiiii

[@raphlvlogs271]

do dragonflies like to eat them?

[@andrewsinclair7159]

Yes, but the reverse also applies.

[@nathanblake6236]

yeet

[@JerseyShoreOutDoors]

Saw a robber fly today, it was eating a dragon fly of all things

[@theworthysoul]

Flies definitely don’t deserve their bad rap in general. So many flies are cool and beneficial. 🪰 - Robber flies, amazing predators of other flies and flying insects. - Hoverflies, pollinators and some also have larvae who eat aphids. - Soldier flies, overall clean flies who are pollinators and larvae make great detritivores. - Blowflies, while sometimes associated with disease, are also good pollinators and help to break down animal waste too. - Crane flies, though not mosquito predators as sometimes believed, and often hated for damaging lawns, their larvae can be important to soil health and as bird food. - Elephant Mosquito, a large mosquito species who doesn’t suck blood but instead its larvae feed on OTHER mosquito larvae! - Bee fly, similar to hoverflies but more like bumblebees in shape, great pollinators though parasitic to solitary bee larvae. Not a problem though; their pollination more than makes up for it and they don’t damage solitary bee populations. And many more.