The Common Yellow Hornet, also called the Sandhills Hornet or the Aerial Yellowjacket, is a native species found across North America. It sports a black body with thin yellow bands and yellow legs.
This type of yellowjacket eats grasshoppers, spiders, flies, and ladybugs. Since they nest above trees, they are mostly targeted by birds and other wasps. However, they can spray venoms out of their stings to defend themselves.
Username: Nachima Published on 2024-12-13 13:33:55 ID NUMBER: 126905
The European Hornet is the largest wasp species in Europe, measuring up to 1.4 inches. It features an easily recognizable yellow and brown coloring, which resembles an oversized yellow jacket.
Despite their size, they are typically non-confrontational unless provoked. They have adapted well to regions such as Europe, Russia, North America, and Northeast Asia.
They construct their nests in hollow trees using a combination of chewed wood pulp and saliva. However, they will also occupy barns, sheds, and attics if no hollow trees are available.
Their colonies can consist of 200 to 700 members, and they have a strong community culture. These hornets hunt large insects such as beetles and yellow jackets and enjoy honey and fruit juices.
The Asian Giant Hornet, or the “murder hornet,” is the largest hornet species on Earth. They are dark brown velvet with a yellow-orange head and are native to East Asia, Subtropical Asia, and parts of the Russian Far East.
Likewise, they live in low mountains and forests and build their nests in rotted tree roots or human-made structures. These hornets are most active between April and November.
Moreover, they are strategic predators; they hunt colonies of bumble bees and wasps. These types of hornets also prey on nuisance species such as the carpenter bee.
During September and October, they exhibit "hawking," where they hover outside beehives, waiting to swoop down on their prey. Despite their fearsome reputation, they only attack when they feel a threat to their nest.
The Oriental Hornet is a social insect in Southwest Asia, Northeast Africa, and some parts of Southern Europe. It has a brown body with thick yellow bands on its abdomen and yellow patches on its face.
Despite their intimidating appearance and reputation for stinging, these hornets are generally harmless and only attack when threatened. They are active during the day, building their nests underground or taking over abandoned burrows. They help control pest populations.
Interestingly, this type of hornet can harvest solar energy to create electricity inside its exoskeleton2.
The queen is responsible for laying eggs, while the female workers handle the rest of the tasks, such as nest building, food gathering, and protection. Male drones exist solely to win the queen's favor.
The Bald-faced Hornet, also called a White-faced Hornet, is a yellowjacket species in North America. It has a black body with white markings on its face, thorax, and abdomen.
The queens of this species are slightly larger than their counterparts; the workers, drones, and queens all have clear roles in the colony.
Bald-faced Hornets live in large carton nests made from chewed-up wood pulp and saliva. These nests are often in trees, shrubs, or buildings.
These hornets are omnivores, eating insects, caterpillars, spiders, nectar, and fruit juice. Unlike many insects, they are active during the day.
The Greater Banded Hornet lives in South and Southeast Asia. It features distinctive yellow and black bands and can grow to an inch.
Likewise, they make their homes in complex, large nests within the hollows of trees or underground cavities, which can house several thousand colonies.
The hornets consume other wasps, beetles, caterpillars, nectar, and fruit. They are also essential pollinators within their ecosystems.
Notably, the queen is the sole egg-layer at the heart of each colony, surrounded by her daughters who serve as workers.
The workers use hunting methods such as "hawk predation," capturing and killing other flying insects in mid-air. Meanwhile, they also participate in "aerial jousting" to determine dominance.
The Lesser Banded Hornet lives in South and Southeast Asia. It measures between 1 and 1.4 inches in length and lives in colonies ranging from a few hundred to a thousand members.
The hornet feeds mainly on insects such as flies, beetles, and caterpillars. However, it also occasionally consumes nectar and sweet sap, making it a gentle pollinator.
Still, these fiercely territorial hornets will not hesitate to protect their homes. Its stings can be painful, so one must exercise caution around them. There are already many fatality reports of their stings leading to complications like myocardial infarction and multiple organ failure1.
The hornets typically construct their nests in trees, shrubs, or under the eaves of buildings. These nests are crafted from chewed-up wood pulp and have a papery feel.
When spring arrives, one fertilized queen establishes the colony, laying eggs and nurturing the first batch of larvae.
Yellow-legged Hornets are smaller than their European counterparts, with worker hornets ranging from 0.8 to 1.2 inches and queens stretching up to 1.4 inches. They are native to Southeast Asia but have spread to Europe by hitching rides with humans.
These hornets have dark, velvety bodies with yellow stripes and yellow legs. They live in bustling colonies of thousands of members, often found in trees, shrubs, artificial structures, and even ground burrows. Their non-barbed stingers can sting repeatedly and cause significant pain.
They have a preference for honey bees, threatening local honeybee populations. Despite their adverse effects on honey bee populations, Yellow-legged Hornets regulate the populations of other insects in their native ecosystems.
The Common Yellow Hornet, also called the Sandhills Hornet or the Aerial Yellowjacket, is a native species found across North America. It sports a black body with thin yellow bands and yellow legs.
This type of yellowjacket eats grasshoppers, spiders, flies, and ladybugs. Since they nest above trees, they are mostly targeted by birds and other wasps. However, they can spray venoms out of their stings to defend themselves.
The Common Yellow Hornet, also called the Sandhills Hornet or the Aerial Yellowjacket, is a native species found across North America. It sports a black body with thin yellow bands and yellow legs.
This type of yellowjacket eats grasshoppers, spiders, flies, and ladybugs. Since they nest above trees, they are mostly targeted by birds and other wasps. However, they can spray venoms out of their stings to defend themselves.
Earwig, (order Dermaptera), any of approximately 1,800 species of insects that are characterized by large membranous hindwings that lie hidden under short, leathery forewings. The name earwig is derived from the Anglo-Saxon word meaning “ear creature,” probably because of a widespread ancient superstition that earwigs crawl into the ears of sleeping people. The earwig varies from 5 to 50 mm (0.2 to 2 inches) in length and is flat, slender, and dark-coloured. It has a shiny outer covering and simple biting mouthparts, and it undergoes incomplete metamorphosis (i.e., egg, nymph, and adult stages). This nocturnal insect is usually herbivorous. Several species can fire a foul-smelling liquid, formed in abdominal glands and probably protective in function, for distances up to 10 cm (4 inches).
The common goldeneye is called so (quite obviously) because of its strikingly amber eye that is accentuated by its glistening green-black (male) or brown head (female). This medium-sized duck is a bit smaller than a mallard at approximately 18 inches in length and weighing one to two pounds. From an aerial perspective, adult males are all black with a black head and back, but nearly all white on the sides with a notable white circle on their cheeks. Adult females have an entirely brown head with grayish brown body plumage. Fun fact: The eyes of the common goldeneye change drastically over its adolescence, from dark purple to blue to greenish blue to pale green, then finally to bright amber yellow when they reach adulthood.
Common octopuses are widespread in tropical, subtropical, and temperate waters worldwide. They are also the most studied octopus species. Notably, they span 1 to 3 feet long, including arms. This is short compared to giant octopuses living under the deep sea.
Aside from their intelligence, their camouflage expertise is extraordinary, adapting color, skin texture, and posture seamlessly according to the substrate. Dive deeper into these types of marine mollusks by checking our list of octopus facts and types of octopus.
The Common Hippopotamus, or the River Hippopotamus, dominates the African landscape, ruling sub-Saharan Africa's lakes, rivers, and mangrove swamps.
A male hippo can reach 3,260 lb. Despite its massive size, it is surprisingly fast, reaching up to 22 miles per hour on land on short distances.
One of its most distinctive characteristics is the secretion of "blood sweat," which acts as a natural sunscreen and antibacterial agent.
Male hippos reach maturity at 7.5 years old, while cows are 5 to 6 years old. After an eight-month gestation period, a female hippo isolates herself from the group. It gives birth to one calf on land or in shallow water.
Interestingly, calves fold their ears and close their nostrils as they nurse on female hippos underwater. Moreover, this nocturnal herbivore can consume around 80 pounds of grass overnight. Adults have no known natural predators, but lions, hyenas, and crocodiles endanger young hippos.
Despite their formidable size, Common Hippos are not sociable. While they form groups, they do so primarily for protection rather than companionship.
The hippos are a vulnerable species, facing a population decline due to poaching and civil unrest1. Elephant ivory substitutes, such as hippo teeth, heighten demand in illegal markets. Conservation efforts are vital, yielding slight improvements in protected areas.
Here are five subspecies of the common hippo with differences in their skulls and geographic ranges
The Common Wood Pigeon is a dove species in Europe, North Africa, and southwestern Asia. It has a soft grey body, pinkish breast, and white neck patch. Likewise, it has adapted to various habitats, feeding on seeds, crops, fruits, and invertebrates.
The Common Ground Dove is a small bird in the southern United States, Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean. It is adaptable and resilient, often found in open landscapes like grasslands, farmlands, and scrublands.
The bird's feathers blend pink and gray, allowing it to blend in with the sandy soil. Male doves have a pink chest and a bluish crown, while females have a more subdued color palette.
The Common Ground Doves prefer to scavenge for seeds, grains, and small insects on the ground, and their gentle cooing often rings out.
The Common House Gecko is a nocturnal Southeast Asian reptile. These geckos have semi-transparent skin; their internal organs are visible through their skin. Their size ranges from 4 to 6 inches, with males slightly larger than females.
These nocturnals communicate with chirps and clicks. They are also not picky eaters, feeding on insects, small invertebrates, their shed skin, and unfertilized eggs. They help balance the ecosystem by checking mosquitoes, spiders, and other unwanted bugs.
The Southern River Otter inhabits the rivers, lakes, and coastal marine habitats in Chile and Argentina. They have an elongated body reaching up to 3.8 feet and 22 pounds.
Their diet is varied, from fish to crustaceans and mollusks. However, they also prey on small birds and mammals when the opportunity arises.
The Common Yellow Hornet, also called the Sandhills Hornet or the Aerial Yellowjacket, is a native species found across North America. It sports a black body with thin yellow bands and yellow legs.
This type of yellowjacket eats grasshoppers, spiders, flies, and ladybugs. Since they nest above trees, they are mostly targeted by birds and other wasps. However, they can spray venoms out of their stings to defend themselves.
At 3.5 cm, the adult common cockchafer is the United Kingdom’s largest scarab beetle. The rusty brown beetle is also called the May bug because it tends to emerge from its underground home around May.
There are a few stories about how the common cockchafer got its name. One explanation says the word “cock” means familiar, and “chafer” means gnawing beetle. Another explanation says cockchafer is Old English for "big beetle."
Yet another account suggests that the word cock in Old English referred to large size, while chafer meant gnawing insect. Therefore, the cockchafer got its name from its size and tendency to chew leaves and flowers vigorously.
