Although it looks like something H. R. Giger thought up, this little beast is merely the product of millions of years of evolution, just like the rest of us. It's known as a wheel bug, Arilus cristatus. It's a member of a group known as assassin bugs because of their predatory skill. By the way, that's not my hand that he's on. I have people who do that for me--I just shoot the pictures.
The original Assassins were a violent Persian sect which started around the year 1040. As with Thugs and Goths, they lent their name to other people in modern times. Jocks and nerds are of more modern origin, but the Band Weenies were originally a well-known tribe in medieval Europe.
