This is one of only two pictures taken of a mysterious bug captured inside my high school on 27th October 2010. I apologise for the photo's poor quality, as it was taken on my cell phone. After doing some research, I have tentatively classified this mysterious creature as an assassin bug, family Reduviidae, though it is possible it could be a species in a related family. Assassin bugs are a group of carnivorous insects so named because of their method of hunting: they jump onto their prey and stab them with a single mandible (known as a rostrum) that can be folded in against their body when not needed. They then inject their prey with their saliva through their rostrum, which, like a spider's venom, turns their prey's insides into liquid, which is then sucked out through the rostrum. They thus "assassinate" their prey. Assassin bugs, if provoked, will also "assassinate" humans, which, while not harmful to the humans, is very painful for them. In hindsight, it was thus quite foolish for me to handle this specimen with my bare hands! This mysterious bug was released outdoors on 29th October 2010.
