Tarantula Wars

[Ledgendveemon]

That's about how well I fare against those things in New Vegas. (BTW their demeanor is completely off according to the wikipedia article)

[xxSpike1989xx]

tarantula hawk wasp has second most painful sting of all insects, the bullet ant is the worst which is meant to be like being shot hence the name!

[MKIVWWI]

In college had to do a paper on pepsis wasps, and found out that not only is the wasp very fast and manuverable, but her body is almost impervious to the bite of the tarantula; she's got a thick exoskeleton and a very ballistic shape which resists fangs, like sloping armor on a tank deflects shells. The French biologist Jean Henri Fabre wrote that he witnessed over 100 such fights, but never saw a tarantula win.

[whiteyr44]

@MKIVWWI Watch the Nat Geo docu, "Giant Tarantula" the tarantula beats a wasp in that.

It's rare, but sometimes the spider gets the upper hand.

[PinkPsycho92]

Why didn't you try and help the poor tarantula?! Thats what I would have done! I would have smashed that stupid wasp in a second!!!

[benjo231]

spiders usually bite when attacked, its strange why they dont just sink those 1" fangs into the wasps soft and rather large body! I know the wasp is fast but still, a large tarantula often over powers snakes, mice and even scorpions.

[globe255]

I know most wasps are venomous, but this type most be extreme venomous.

[djlivingfire]

I was stung by a pepsis wasp while landscaping. The sting was so impressive that I contacted the department of horticulture and learned that insect stings are rated on a scale of 1 to 4, 4 being the worst. Bullet ants and pepsis wasps (tarantula hawk) are the only insects with a 4. Yes, it hurt like hell.

[lapere]

web building spiders are a lot more successful, but a wasp will usually take a spider apart in fair fight.

[cooldude4always]

So isn't there anything, other than ants, that can batter the wasp?

[skuzboll]

Good job...you're lucky to have witnessed this up close

[cooldude4always]

ha, that spider wasp would get battered if it was messing with bullet ants, theyre sting are alot more lethal, not to mention they come in armies

[OuroborosChoked]

That's crazy that there's a WASP out there that can kill a tarantula. I hear its sting is the most intense pain you're ever likely to experience and still live...

[hork111]

@OuroborosChoked I don't think it's THAT painful. There are other organisms whose sting is much more dreadful than this wasp. Many of them are marine species. Weever fish, Stonefish, striped eel catfish, freshwater stingrays (ugh!). People stung by weevers have actually begged to be shot. Freshwater stingrays (Potamotrygon) can make grown men cry like babies. And snakes...I would take ten hits from this wasp before one single rattlesnake bite.

[blizarrd]

Tarantula hawks are pretty much on the top of

insect food chain, along with giant centipedes.

[ChinaGroom]

The brutal part is that the spider is not killed by the wasp's venom. It is paralyzed, but still alive until the eggs hatch and the wasp larvae start eating it!! Gruesome way to die.

[HarryPuntCunnington]

Shame about the quality, but that's a pretty impressive video. Did you know that your video is linked to from the Tarantula Wasp Wikipedia article?

[durkma2]

great soundtrack!

[GlowStormLion]

Thanks for posting this.. I saw one of those (Tarantula Hawks) in my yard the other day... huge and totally scary looking! :)

[liveoutloud123]

lol, LOVE the music with the video!  That was awesome!

[DranKof]

If only the video quality were a little better, this could be one of the best tarantula fights!

[raychel21988]

that was indeed an epic battle. nature is so sad sometimes