Page 1 of 4 123 ... LastLast
Results 1 to 10 of 32

Thread: Tarantula Hawk

  1. #1

    Tarantula Hawk

    I am sitting out just before dark, watching our bird dog, who is unhappily sporting a cone to keep her from licking a hot spot on her paw. Here she is a few hours ago.

    Name:  5A6B66A5-E54C-422B-A44B-97D43A40D8AF.jpg
Views: 1057
Size:  103.4 KB

    Catching up with PF on my iPad, I catch movement and go and investigate what looks like a large tarantula. Then I realize something is dragging the tarantula.

    Name:  FDDDA9FD-8821-4DE0-B7BE-265FC0CB34BF.jpg
Views: 1082
Size:  49.4 KB

    Turns out it is a tarantula hawk, which is a crazy effective predator, and how it operates is worth a quick read.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tarantula_hawk

    snippet:

    A tarantula hawk is a spider wasp (Pompilidae) that hunts tarantulas. Tarantula hawks belong to any of the many species in the genera Pepsis and Hemipepsis. They are parasitoid wasps, using their sting to paralyze their prey before dragging it to a brood nest as living food; a single egg is laid on the prey, hatching to a larva which eats the still-living prey.
    Likes pretty much everything in every caliber.

  2. #2
    Also the second most painful sting:
    https://youtu.be/Vcftu7AJKRk


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

  3. #3
    Hammertime
    Join Date
    Apr 2016
    Location
    Desert Southwest
    We don’t get those til later in summer, but they are impressive. Usually we kill them if safely possible since we are fond of tarantulas.

  4. #4
    Site Supporter
    Join Date
    Feb 2011
    Location
    Texas
    My favorite insect. They and I have a common evil enemy.


    @GJM, how often do you get tarantulas in the desert? I'm guessing Alaska has less...

  5. #5
    Site Supporter
    Join Date
    Feb 2016
    Location
    In the desert, looking for water.
    Quote Originally Posted by TheNewbie View Post
    My favorite insect. They and I have a common evil enemy.


    @GJM, how often do you get tarantulas in the desert? I'm guessing Alaska has less...
    Tarantula males leave the tunnel nest they live in to go out looking for love when they are about ten years old. A new batch does it every year. A lot get eaten by other critters or crushed by cars as they cross roads without ever finding a love nest complete with willing female. Those that do find a willing female are usually consumed by their mate immediately upon completion of copulation.

  6. #6
    Site Supporter
    Join Date
    Feb 2011
    Location
    Texas
    Quote Originally Posted by Duelist View Post
    Tarantula males leave the tunnel nest they live in to go out looking for love when they are about ten years old. A new batch does it every year. A lot get eaten by other critters or crushed by cars as they cross roads without ever finding a love nest complete with willing female. Those that do find a willing female are usually consumed by their mate immediately upon completion of copulation.

    I am serious, I had rather face almost anything than a tarantula. It's not even easy for me to look at the pic GJM posted.

    If I saw them ever day I would volunteer for a mission to Mars.

  7. #7
    Site Supporter
    Join Date
    Feb 2016
    Location
    In the desert, looking for water.
    Quote Originally Posted by TheNewbie View Post
    I am serious, I had rather face almost anything than a tarantula. It's not even easy for me to look at the pic GJM posted.

    If I saw them ever day I would volunteer for a mission to Mars.
    I find them creepy but cool. They have a fascinating life cycle. If I were a biologist, arachnids - especially tarantulas - might be a really fun focus. They will leave you alone, unlike some spiders that are just asses, like funnel spiders that will actually hiss at you and try to chase you from their nests.

    Most spiders, most of the time, I prefer to leave alone, like snakes. I don’t prefer to be around them, but I don’t hate on them. They eat critters I really don’t like and don’t want around, like cockroaches and flies and mosquitoes. An adult tarantula might even successfully predate a mouse.

  8. #8
    Member JHC's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2011
    Location
    North Georgia
    Quote Originally Posted by GJM View Post
    I am sitting out just before dark, watching our bird dog, who is unhappily sporting a cone to keep her from licking a hot spot on her paw. Here she is a few hours ago.

    Name:  5A6B66A5-E54C-422B-A44B-97D43A40D8AF.jpg
Views: 1057
Size:  103.4 KB

    Catching up with PF on my iPad, I catch movement and go and investigate what looks like a large tarantula. Then I realize something is dragging the tarantula.

    Name:  FDDDA9FD-8821-4DE0-B7BE-265FC0CB34BF.jpg
Views: 1082
Size:  49.4 KB

    Turns out it is a tarantula hawk, which is a crazy effective predator, and how it operates is worth a quick read.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tarantula_hawk

    snippet:

    A tarantula hawk is a spider wasp (Pompilidae) that hunts tarantulas. Tarantula hawks belong to any of the many species in the genera Pepsis and Hemipepsis. They are parasitoid wasps, using their sting to paralyze their prey before dragging it to a brood nest as living food; a single egg is laid on the prey, hatching to a larva which eats the still-living prey.
    Paralyzed prey with larva gnawing away. Pure horror genre
    “Remember, being healthy is basically just dying as slowly as possible,” Ricky Gervais

  9. #9
    Quote Originally Posted by Duelist View Post
    Tarantula males leave the tunnel nest they live in to go out looking for love when they are about ten years old. A new batch does it every year. A lot get eaten by other critters or crushed by cars as they cross roads without ever finding a love nest complete with willing female. Those that do find a willing female are usually consumed by their mate immediately upon completion of copulation.
    About 40 miles East of Pueblo, Colo. there have been tarantula migrations that cause vehicular accidents due to the roadways becoming greased with crushed spiders. Happens maybe 1 out of 20 years.
    -All views expressed are those of the author and do not reflect those of the author's employer-

  10. #10
    Member GuanoLoco's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2016
    Location
    Birmingham, AL
    Quote Originally Posted by Duelist View Post
    I find them creepy but cool. They have a fascinating life cycle. If I were a biologist, arachnids - especially tarantulas - might be a really fun focus. They will leave you alone, unlike some spiders that are just asses, like funnel spiders that will actually hiss at you and try to chase you from their nests.

    Most spiders, most of the time, I prefer to leave alone, like snakes. I don’t prefer to be around them, but I don’t hate on them. They eat critters I really don’t like and don’t want around, like cockroaches and flies and mosquitoes. An adult tarantula might even successfully predate a mouse.
    I don’t kill spiders except for brown recluses. If there is nothing left to eat they leave or die. Around here they stay fat and happy. I’ll occasionally relocate one outside if my wife insists.

    Predators like spiders, scorpions and lizards get to live, vermin like mice and insects die.
    Are you now, or have you ever been a member of the Doodie Project?

User Tag List

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •