For Wasps, spotty faces are KILLER

Just as some people look too scary to get into a fight with, so too do the looks on the faces of some wasps keep others away.

Paper wasps wear black spots to warn others of their grappling prowess, according to a new study that illustrates a strategy animals can use to avoid fights.

Animals spend a lot of time competing with each other over food, territory or other desirables.


The better fed and larger these wasps are, the more black spots they often have on their yellow faces. The more spots wasp faces had, the more other wasps might shy away.

The researchers perched dead wasps on top of sugar cubes and painted their faces with specific patterns. They next saw if other wasps dared approach the cubes for some tasty sugar. "The dead wasps kind of served like scarecrows for the other wasps," a researcher explained.


The researchers found that wasps preferred challenging guards with fewer spots and veered off from those with more spots!