Paralysed it. The wasp will lay her eggs on/in the spider and the hatchlings will have their first live meal ready and waiting. Pretty gruesome way to die.
Yikes. I wonder how the wasp would go up against a Sydney funnel web which I understand are more lethal (to people at least) and more aggressive than a huntsman. Would they be more evenly matched.
The funnel-web (Atrax/Hadronyche) would be a lethal adversary due to its robust build, armor-piercing fangs, and rapid defensive strikes. Orange spider wasps are ill-equipped for such burrow-dwelling threats, as they rely on stinging exposed prey. Consequently, a forced encounter would likely result in the wasp's swift death, a scenario nature generally avoids.
Because we don't need god, we just need people to be good humans. There is no after life, yours is finite. Use it wisely. Be ok with it. Be strong. We don't need god.
No, YOU don't need God. That's ok that you don't need God. No one should tell you that you are wrong, in the same way that No one should tell someone that believes in God that they are wrong. Faith and science aren't exclusive, despite what people think nowadays. Some of the greatest scientific minds in history were devoutly religious, people like Galileo Galilei, Isaac Newton, Nicolaus Copernicus, Gregor Mendel, Johannes Kepler, not to mention all the Islamic mathematicians and scientists from the Golden Age of Islam, as well as more recent scientists such as Georges Lemaistre (who proposed Big Bang Theory), Louis Pasteur, Francis Collins and Charles Townes. Even Leonardo Da Vinci, was considered spiritual.
These wasps, and pretty much all solitary wasps for that matter, are what's known as parasitoids. They aren't parasites in the way most people think of parasites and instead paralyse the prey item, drag it into an enclosed space, lay an egg on the prey item and the wasp larva, when hatched, will then have a fresh meal.
This is a Spider Wasp, however it's not a Tarantula Hawk. This one is Cryptocheilus bicolor, colloquially known as the Orange Spider Wasp. This species do not prey on any Tarantulas and are instead specialised hunters of certain types of Huntsman, namely Heteropoda and Isopeda, as well as a certain type of Wolf Spider, namely Lycosa.
If it has orange stripes on the abdomen, it's almost certainly the same species. Wasps of this type, known as parasitoid wasps, are incredibly common and an incredibly important part of the ecosystem. A particularly beautiful one is called the Blue Flower Wasp.
You're welcome. Wasps are much maligned creatures and yet they are fascinating and extremely beneficial to the ecosystem they are part of. Each species of parasitoid wasp has a specific prey species, which potentially makes them ideal candidates for use in biocontrol.
There are some good books that have recently been published. Four in particular are Wasps: The Astonishing Diversity of a Misunderstood Insect by Eric R. Eaton, Wasps of the World: A Guide to Every Family by Simon Van Noort, Hymenoptera: The Natural History and Diversity of Wasps, Bees and Ants by Stephen A. Marshall and Wasps: Their Biology, Diversity and Role As Beneficial Pollinators of Native Plants by Heather N. Holm. Hopefully these will be able to further your knowledge.
What's the one that convinced Darwin there is no god ? Because how cruel it was for something to spawn and erupt out of you like Alien, killing its host.
It's funny how we put our "values" onto the universe. Here is a reddit perplexing over something explained simply if the insect does not feel pain. Not fully accepted but a lot of evidence suggesting such...... https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=1gmgwx77osw
No still very much alive and aware just completely and permanently paralysed. The Tarantula Hawk Wasp will drag the spider into a pre dug burrow and lay its egg on the spider’s body and in a few days it will hatch and the larvae will burrow into the still aware spider’s stomach and eat it from the inside and avoid vital organs to keep the food fresh for as long as possible then when it’s done it will burst through the spider’s chest and go on its merry way.
Damn it takes that long? The wasp eventually gave up and I currently have the spider in a container with a damp tissue and I'm kinda just hoping for the best now
I was just reading about huntsmans surviving on a Facebook post about this same situation. I’d asked in some threads and no one could give an answer as to whether it wore off as I had been curious. In the that situation the wasp gave up and the person took the spider in. Some said they’ve had the paralysis wear off within hours.. and someone rehabbed one over weeks until it wore off.
Hopefully someone could give you info on how to keep him alive over the time it may take to recover. Poor thing.. it would be awful to be paralysed and then starve to death anyway.. 😕😞
I witnessed this in person, fruit picking in Mildura back in 05. Was fresh off the boat from NZ. It freaked me out so much I quit the job later that day.
Lmao that is hilarious. It is an insane thing to witness. I remember the first time I saw it, I was in my loungeroom and looked out the window onto our cul-de-sac street and could see a huge wasp dragging a massive spider all the way out on the street which was quite far away
I have wanted to escape Mildura pretty much as soon as I was born here in 04'. Do you remember what your perceptive was about Mildura at the time aside from the obvious insects/wildlife we get as a more central rural town? I'm always curious what non locals think about us, especially from international visitors as I know I wouldn't last long if I wasn't born into a family with such strong, historical roots living here.
Yep my, mum, son, and I, one day back a few years ago. Saw a hornet flying with a ginormous huntsman over near my window. I never knew they did that until that day. I felt bad for the huntsman. But I was also proud of the hornet!
Hehehe!!! I don’t discriminate against any creature! Also isn’t that a little bit hypocritical when a huntsman does the same thing to cockroaches, moths, etc…
Yeah, the size of wasps that could take out cane toads and use them like that… plus drag them??? Plus the larvae would have to either have immunity from poisoning, or just be instinctively smart enough to avoid its back.
I’m not saying in principle it’s a bad idea. Please, anything to get rid of cane toads.
But wasps that could do all of those things, plus the venom to paralyse cane toads so effectively… ha ha ha, I’m good.
Ive been learning about them over the last few months and I definitely have much more of an appreciation for nature as a whole now. I had arachnophobia a few months ago and now my phone is full of macro shots spiders 😅
Congrats for tackling your phobia👏! I used to wake up in the middle of the night, when a kid, and there would be my huntsman sitting guard above my head😁!! First time scared the heck out of me but I got used to him. I even had a black house spider in the laundry. I'd "move" the mozzies flying around into her web. She had 2 lots of spiderings, unfortunately she died soon after the 2nd lot were up and about. I miss her! Only insects I don't like are centipedes, slugs and earwigs! Earwigs are pinchy lil buggers😂!
Centipedes just scare the heck out of me. Slugs, I move into the naturestrip and earwigs I watch from a distance....twice they've been in clean washing and given me the pinch when I've been minding my own business...in my leggings both times!! But I agree, everything has its place in the beautiful natural world. It's us that have invaded their worlds.
In theory it's scary sure but that guy buzzes around me pretty often, almost daily at this point and she's always been chill even when I've shoved a camera in her face
Damn ok I suppose I've been misinformed to them being harmless to us, I've been trying to get near it for weeks trying to get good photos I guess I'm lucky she hasn't gotten me yet 😅
Iconic Australian moment.
I've always wondered how long the wasp babies take to hatch, it surely can't be long otherwise the spider would die. Imagine what the poor thing is thinking as it's being carried away
Huntsman always appear "intelligent" to me when makes me feel extra sad for them but that makes me feel better. Though I think they do suffer in this experience I hope they just aren't thinking about it lol
I’ve also witnessed this but never got the opportunity to film it. That flying killing machine must’ve had some kind of radar to find the poor thing hidden in a sandstone niche. Frightening.
I'm not sure where she found it but we have spiders everywhere here aswell, I saw the spider on the ground this morning and thought it had been paralyzed then abandoned, went to get a container to see if he would recover but by the time I came back the wasp had come back. Shes been struggling with him for hours so I've got no clue if she'll give up at some point
Ty for sharing OP. At first I thought that it was some new spider hybrid until I read your explanation as I've never heard of the spider wasp. So interesting and yes, so cruel.
I saw one of these irl a couple weeks back, he was doing such a good job dragging a very fat and big huntsman across the pavement backwards…
…that was until a rosella/king parrot swooped in and stole his dinner from him, he looked very very sad walking in circles like me when I’ve misplaced my keys/wallet/glasses, I kinda felt bad for the poor lil spider wasp
I saw one of these on the path outside our apartment complex. I initially saw a massive orange wasp thing... so me, being an absolute intellectual, walked towards it. It was dragging a MASSIVE huntsman spider! I gagged immediately and pooped myself a bit as it let go of the huntsman and flew towards my legs and tried to land twice, didnt work as by this time i was Irish dancing and screaming eractically. It eventually left me alone and went back to the huntsman and started dragging it into a garden.
My 5 year old was stung on his foot by one shortly after I took this photo.... every time he looks at this photo he can still feel the pain! We lived in Gordonvale, south of Cairns and had lots of them flying around.
I was lying in bed reading last week when I heard a horrifying scream. My daughter came charging upstairs...she'd laid her head on her pillow then something popped. What she found was that a tarantula hawk had deposited not one but 3 paralysed spiders inside her pillowcase; one small wolfie, one small tarantula and one small funnelweb. My daughter now won't open her window.
I’m often asked to humanely relocate huntsmen at work. I do so and tell my colleagues they’re doing the right thing and thank you for not killing it. I never have the heart to tell them how many worse fates can befall a huntsman outside.
The Fate: Once she stuffs the spider into a burrow, she will lay a single egg on its abdomen. When the larva hatches, it will eat the spider alive. To keep the "meat" fresh, the larva instinctively avoids eating the spider's vital organs until the very end.
yeah it is gruesome, those this particular spider is now likely to suffer a different fate as the wasp gave up so hes currently in a container seeing if the paralysis will wear off and if not im sure at the very least he'll be a hearty meal for one of the birds that frequent our yard
That’s epic. I took this pic a coupla days ago on my fence. Not quite as good as OP. & was wondering what was going on… great insight. Thank you for those who posted with info.
We have loads of these wasps near my home. One dumped a freshly paralysed, huntsman next to my toddler the other day. As she went to inspect it (being naturally curious of bugs) the wasp started buzzing around like it was about to enforce its property rights. My flip flops came have never come off faster but these chitinous flying monsters are the Sherman tanks of the insect world, the worst a rubber flip flop does is make them angrier
Weird question, but I noticed the spiders size and weight would be more than the wasps? How does the wasp have that strength and endurance to drag that spider up the wall without getting tired? Do they have muscles like humans and lactic acid etc? Fascinating
A lot of insects can lift several times their own body weight, it's unusual for a creature the size of us but pretty standard for tiny guys like that. Funnily enough he did not succeed, dropped him a few times then just gave up after a few hours
We used to see those fairly often when I was a kid, dragging the poor huntsman off to it's Aliens-esque doom. Pro tip, if your shoelaces are tied exactly wrong they can mistake your shoelaces for a spider. I only saw it happen once, to dad, it was kinda funny.
So it had killed the spider or paralysed it?
Paralysed it. The wasp will lay her eggs on/in the spider and the hatchlings will have their first live meal ready and waiting. Pretty gruesome way to die.
Yikes. I wonder how the wasp would go up against a Sydney funnel web which I understand are more lethal (to people at least) and more aggressive than a huntsman. Would they be more evenly matched.
If I was a betting woman, I’d back the wasp!
You’d be wrong. The wasp will win almost every time. The only time a spider wins is if it gets web advantage.
I often wonder this and believe that the Funnel Web would be too quick, agile and venomous for it.
The funnel-web (Atrax/Hadronyche) would be a lethal adversary due to its robust build, armor-piercing fangs, and rapid defensive strikes. Orange spider wasps are ill-equipped for such burrow-dwelling threats, as they rely on stinging exposed prey. Consequently, a forced encounter would likely result in the wasp's swift death, a scenario nature generally avoids.
Stfu ChatGPT
Chat NPC
That's some Stephen King level horror
https://preview.redd.it/0109mrxb047g1.jpeg?width=516&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d615e817aab49f7f751b7610fd806a95e76b48a4
Wait until you read about zombie ants!
And the rats that become horny for cat piss
Nature really is one fascinating bastard
Happy(?) upcoming birthday wasp larvae!
I saw this happen when I was a kid! Definitely gruesome but that’s just nature I guess.
https://preview.redd.it/b3e69gqsy67g1.jpeg?width=1150&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=5440766f11404b57d51c41adfe253a285bc9056e
Not far off!
Is it possible if the wasp is interrupted, that the spider could recover if not eaten by anything else? Or is the paralysis permanent?
My understanding is that yes, it’s possible. How long it takes to recover, I don’t know.
This is how I know there is 100% no God 💀
He should beg for our forgiveness
God works in mysterious ways ✨
No idea why this was downvoted, but yes He does.
Because we don't need god, we just need people to be good humans. There is no after life, yours is finite. Use it wisely. Be ok with it. Be strong. We don't need god.
No, YOU don't need God. That's ok that you don't need God. No one should tell you that you are wrong, in the same way that No one should tell someone that believes in God that they are wrong. Faith and science aren't exclusive, despite what people think nowadays. Some of the greatest scientific minds in history were devoutly religious, people like Galileo Galilei, Isaac Newton, Nicolaus Copernicus, Gregor Mendel, Johannes Kepler, not to mention all the Islamic mathematicians and scientists from the Golden Age of Islam, as well as more recent scientists such as Georges Lemaistre (who proposed Big Bang Theory), Louis Pasteur, Francis Collins and Charles Townes. Even Leonardo Da Vinci, was considered spiritual.
Thoughts and prayers lol
The wasps paralyse the spider, then lay eggs in it. When the eggs hatch the larvae eat the still alive spider.
These wasps, and pretty much all solitary wasps for that matter, are what's known as parasitoids. They aren't parasites in the way most people think of parasites and instead paralyse the prey item, drag it into an enclosed space, lay an egg on the prey item and the wasp larva, when hatched, will then have a fresh meal.
Paralyse, or else the legs would be in a different position. (I might be wrong)
Ah. The Tarantula Hawk. Living proof that there really is no god.
This is a Spider Wasp, however it's not a Tarantula Hawk. This one is Cryptocheilus bicolor, colloquially known as the Orange Spider Wasp. This species do not prey on any Tarantulas and are instead specialised hunters of certain types of Huntsman, namely Heteropoda and Isopeda, as well as a certain type of Wolf Spider, namely Lycosa.
Yeah I didn't think it was a taratula hawk, would you mind IDing another one that looks similar but has orange stripes on its abdomen?
If it has orange stripes on the abdomen, it's almost certainly the same species. Wasps of this type, known as parasitoid wasps, are incredibly common and an incredibly important part of the ecosystem. A particularly beautiful one is called the Blue Flower Wasp.
Thank you for the education I appreciate it greatly
You're welcome. Wasps are much maligned creatures and yet they are fascinating and extremely beneficial to the ecosystem they are part of. Each species of parasitoid wasp has a specific prey species, which potentially makes them ideal candidates for use in biocontrol.
Fascinating. Any books you can recommend for the layperson to learn more about wasps? As you say they are much maligned.
There are some good books that have recently been published. Four in particular are Wasps: The Astonishing Diversity of a Misunderstood Insect by Eric R. Eaton, Wasps of the World: A Guide to Every Family by Simon Van Noort, Hymenoptera: The Natural History and Diversity of Wasps, Bees and Ants by Stephen A. Marshall and Wasps: Their Biology, Diversity and Role As Beneficial Pollinators of Native Plants by Heather N. Holm. Hopefully these will be able to further your knowledge.
Thanks! I will start with Eric Eaton's book.
You're welcome and good luck.
What's the one that convinced Darwin there is no god ? Because how cruel it was for something to spawn and erupt out of you like Alien, killing its host.
Certainly no god that you (or anyone else) have conceived of - i. E. Fits human sensibilities
It's funny how we put our "values" onto the universe. Here is a reddit perplexing over something explained simply if the insect does not feel pain. Not fully accepted but a lot of evidence suggesting such...... https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=1gmgwx77osw
they really named it after two different predators
Stop!! Stop! He's already deaaadd 😫
No still very much alive and aware just completely and permanently paralysed. The Tarantula Hawk Wasp will drag the spider into a pre dug burrow and lay its egg on the spider’s body and in a few days it will hatch and the larvae will burrow into the still aware spider’s stomach and eat it from the inside and avoid vital organs to keep the food fresh for as long as possible then when it’s done it will burst through the spider’s chest and go on its merry way.
Technically not permanent - wears off after a few months if it somehow survives that long. Few rehab stories over on r/tarantulas
Damn it takes that long? The wasp eventually gave up and I currently have the spider in a container with a damp tissue and I'm kinda just hoping for the best now
I was just reading about huntsmans surviving on a Facebook post about this same situation. I’d asked in some threads and no one could give an answer as to whether it wore off as I had been curious. In the that situation the wasp gave up and the person took the spider in. Some said they’ve had the paralysis wear off within hours.. and someone rehabbed one over weeks until it wore off.
Hopefully someone could give you info on how to keep him alive over the time it may take to recover. Poor thing.. it would be awful to be paralysed and then starve to death anyway.. 😕😞
I’d be interested in an update if it survives. Glad you have it under your care.
I will certainly be posting about it if he pulls through!
Time-lapse!! A time-lapse of hope. How do you feed a paralyzed spider?
Anyone?
Maybe if had a go pro or something but unfortunately I don't right now 😅
Hhmmm keep us posted. 😆
I certainly will be if he pulls through!
Mmm delicious. Spider tartar.
Although this isn't a Tarantula Hawk, this is an Orange Spider Wasp and has nothing to do with Tarantulas at all.
Ha!
Not yet
She’s alive, but the end will be nasty! Spiderwasp tactics
https://preview.redd.it/fj4p6g8l097g1.jpeg?width=640&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=fc7e994f2f9786ae19fb5e7774ea63637558d58c
I witnessed this in person, fruit picking in Mildura back in 05. Was fresh off the boat from NZ. It freaked me out so much I quit the job later that day.
Lmao that is hilarious. It is an insane thing to witness. I remember the first time I saw it, I was in my loungeroom and looked out the window onto our cul-de-sac street and could see a huge wasp dragging a massive spider all the way out on the street which was quite far away
I have wanted to escape Mildura pretty much as soon as I was born here in 04'. Do you remember what your perceptive was about Mildura at the time aside from the obvious insects/wildlife we get as a more central rural town? I'm always curious what non locals think about us, especially from international visitors as I know I wouldn't last long if I wasn't born into a family with such strong, historical roots living here.
Yep my, mum, son, and I, one day back a few years ago. Saw a hornet flying with a ginormous huntsman over near my window. I never knew they did that until that day. I felt bad for the huntsman. But I was also proud of the hornet!
How can you be proud of a Hornets.. they are the DEVIL's spawn
Hehehe!!! I don’t discriminate against any creature! Also isn’t that a little bit hypocritical when a huntsman does the same thing to cockroaches, moths, etc…
Can we evolve them to take out cane toads?
"but what if we bring snakes in to control all the rats"
Yeah, the size of wasps that could take out cane toads and use them like that… plus drag them??? Plus the larvae would have to either have immunity from poisoning, or just be instinctively smart enough to avoid its back. I’m not saying in principle it’s a bad idea. Please, anything to get rid of cane toads. But wasps that could do all of those things, plus the venom to paralyse cane toads so effectively… ha ha ha, I’m good.
I am fascinated by insects, especially spiders. Nature is absolutely incredible! Thanks so much for posting this video
Ive been learning about them over the last few months and I definitely have much more of an appreciation for nature as a whole now. I had arachnophobia a few months ago and now my phone is full of macro shots spiders 😅
https://preview.redd.it/wwu1gc79247g1.jpeg?width=2268&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=8500df334bb3f1f7fe6868199beef0c719876189
Me too!
Awesome photo!!
Congrats for tackling your phobia👏! I used to wake up in the middle of the night, when a kid, and there would be my huntsman sitting guard above my head😁!! First time scared the heck out of me but I got used to him. I even had a black house spider in the laundry. I'd "move" the mozzies flying around into her web. She had 2 lots of spiderings, unfortunately she died soon after the 2nd lot were up and about. I miss her! Only insects I don't like are centipedes, slugs and earwigs! Earwigs are pinchy lil buggers😂!
Honestly I don't think there's anything I dislike anymore, everything has it's place in the ecosystem and i think that's pretty cool
Centipedes just scare the heck out of me. Slugs, I move into the naturestrip and earwigs I watch from a distance....twice they've been in clean washing and given me the pinch when I've been minding my own business...in my leggings both times!! But I agree, everything has its place in the beautiful natural world. It's us that have invaded their worlds.
Spiders are not insects. The 8 legs are a clue.
https://preview.redd.it/7s5hoakcw37g1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=30d91046d72ca573b2eab0a38023f17caee51e17
Saw the same thing walking down the street it was taking the spider the street
That's horrifying ☹️
This is just giving more of my European friends not to come visit me down under 😅😭
In theory it's scary sure but that guy buzzes around me pretty often, almost daily at this point and she's always been chill even when I've shoved a camera in her face
I really hate wasps but for just this reason. Pure evil
It's an innocent animal trying to lay her eggs. Nature's cruel, it's not the wasp's fault.
I saw one for the first time the other day too! Just watched in awe for a few minutes as it dragged it across the yard. Crazy strength
Been stung by one of these. Worst pain I’ve ever felt.
Damn good to know cos it's been hanging around me heaps the last few weeks
I think they usually leave you alone. I was playing backyard cricket and the ball must hit the wall and annoyed it.
They have one of these painful stings according to some sting ranking.
Damn ok I suppose I've been misinformed to them being harmless to us, I've been trying to get near it for weeks trying to get good photos I guess I'm lucky she hasn't gotten me yet 😅
Wasps notoriously have short tempers, but as long as you're not annoying them you're fine
Another fun tidbit: getting stung by a tarantula hawk wasp is debilitating and excruciatingly painful for a human imagine the spider.
Really? I thought they couldn't sting humans, at least from what I've seen and I can't see a stinger. She's always been chill around me as well
Iconic Australian moment. I've always wondered how long the wasp babies take to hatch, it surely can't be long otherwise the spider would die. Imagine what the poor thing is thinking as it's being carried away
Don’t worry, spiders can’t really “think” anything so there was no suffering or fear at least…
Huntsman always appear "intelligent" to me when makes me feel extra sad for them but that makes me feel better. Though I think they do suffer in this experience I hope they just aren't thinking about it lol
I've got one downstairs, seen it dragging huntsmans across the deck a couple of times. Do they make mud cocoons? I've got a few of those too
I’ve also witnessed this but never got the opportunity to film it. That flying killing machine must’ve had some kind of radar to find the poor thing hidden in a sandstone niche. Frightening.
I'm not sure where she found it but we have spiders everywhere here aswell, I saw the spider on the ground this morning and thought it had been paralyzed then abandoned, went to get a container to see if he would recover but by the time I came back the wasp had come back. Shes been struggling with him for hours so I've got no clue if she'll give up at some point
Yep I’ve seen a wasp carrying one also. Scary stuff
Bruh I legit just saw this happening outside and I was so confused, opened my phone and saw this
Well at least you know what was happening now 😆
Ty for sharing OP. At first I thought that it was some new spider hybrid until I read your explanation as I've never heard of the spider wasp. So interesting and yes, so cruel.
Eeeep
https://preview.redd.it/gyva4e8l857g1.jpeg?width=3413&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=95ce1e71ce67d69f5599ecb5006a817f5c6f1730
Yep. Had the camera out one day and caught this happy fella with his latest acquisition
Good snap, I need to get some stuff for my camera to take better bug photos haha
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We saw this today!! I legit just had to ask my partner if he posted this 😂
Seems to be the season for it, I've seen tons of videos on Reddit about it over the last month or so
Watched one drag a huntsman about six metres through my backyard once. Didn’t realise the spider was still alive.
I saw one of these irl a couple weeks back, he was doing such a good job dragging a very fat and big huntsman across the pavement backwards…
…that was until a rosella/king parrot swooped in and stole his dinner from him, he looked very very sad walking in circles like me when I’ve misplaced my keys/wallet/glasses, I kinda felt bad for the poor lil spider wasp
is it a mudbrick?
I thought 'cool' until somebody said spider wasp. Hate those things.
i have hundreds of these in my garden at the moment in Sydney. Ive seen 3 flying away with medium sized huntsmans, struggling for flight.
Never been stung by one but cant inagine it would be a fun experience. They also dont seem to have any fear of humans.
one of these came barreling out of the sky next to me once. My lizard ate it before i could even react, was very tasty apparently.
I saw a hornet do this and drag the spider into its den underneath my garage
I saw one of these on the path outside our apartment complex. I initially saw a massive orange wasp thing... so me, being an absolute intellectual, walked towards it. It was dragging a MASSIVE huntsman spider! I gagged immediately and pooped myself a bit as it let go of the huntsman and flew towards my legs and tried to land twice, didnt work as by this time i was Irish dancing and screaming eractically. It eventually left me alone and went back to the huntsman and started dragging it into a garden.
I learned a few things that day...
https://preview.redd.it/gdmuq74j597g1.jpeg?width=1438&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=5274567334101939df29eac9a812fcbd22f04fff
My 5 year old was stung on his foot by one shortly after I took this photo.... every time he looks at this photo he can still feel the pain! We lived in Gordonvale, south of Cairns and had lots of them flying around.
I get wasp nests all over my place full of paralysed spiders, pretty rough way to go!
I was lying in bed reading last week when I heard a horrifying scream. My daughter came charging upstairs...she'd laid her head on her pillow then something popped. What she found was that a tarantula hawk had deposited not one but 3 paralysed spiders inside her pillowcase; one small wolfie, one small tarantula and one small funnelweb. My daughter now won't open her window.
I’m often asked to humanely relocate huntsmen at work. I do so and tell my colleagues they’re doing the right thing and thank you for not killing it. I never have the heart to tell them how many worse fates can befall a huntsman outside.
Omg!!! I think this is the wasp I saw having a stand-off with a hundsman over 20 years ago.. Didn't have a camera on me. Wow!
The Fate: Once she stuffs the spider into a burrow, she will lay a single egg on its abdomen. When the larva hatches, it will eat the spider alive. To keep the "meat" fresh, the larva instinctively avoids eating the spider's vital organs until the very end.
yeah it is gruesome, those this particular spider is now likely to suffer a different fate as the wasp gave up so hes currently in a container seeing if the paralysis will wear off and if not im sure at the very least he'll be a hearty meal for one of the birds that frequent our yard
But the winner goes to the cordyceps true nightmare fuel
This is a course of nature I’d change
https://preview.redd.it/43bnv59zmc7g1.jpeg?width=1320&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=7ba1d094b6e1cb130c06eac8ef86970242c19840
That’s epic. I took this pic a coupla days ago on my fence. Not quite as good as OP. & was wondering what was going on… great insight. Thank you for those who posted with info.
Did you think they were dancing?
Got a video of the same thing last week!
There are a few near my house, and they always try to get inside…
Poor spider. Yes, nature is cruel.
I'm sorry but there's not a chance I wouldn't kill that evil wasp and leave that spider in a safe space to recover. Spiders for life.
I watched a big arse hornet drag a large huntsman a good 120 meters through my yard, down my stonewall, stairs... Amazing and scary
We have loads of these wasps near my home. One dumped a freshly paralysed, huntsman next to my toddler the other day. As she went to inspect it (being naturally curious of bugs) the wasp started buzzing around like it was about to enforce its property rights. My flip flops came have never come off faster but these chitinous flying monsters are the Sherman tanks of the insect world, the worst a rubber flip flop does is make them angrier
Prior to reading the comments I had no idea a spider wasp was a thing, but at first glimpse of the video I literally said “ah yes, the spider wasp”…
That spiders bad time is going to get far worse
I was two hours and several jet lags into my first trip to Australia when I saw the same thing happening in my in-laws’ back garden.
I nearly called a cab back to the airport.
Weird question, but I noticed the spiders size and weight would be more than the wasps? How does the wasp have that strength and endurance to drag that spider up the wall without getting tired? Do they have muscles like humans and lactic acid etc? Fascinating
A lot of insects can lift several times their own body weight, it's unusual for a creature the size of us but pretty standard for tiny guys like that. Funnily enough he did not succeed, dropped him a few times then just gave up after a few hours
I know it’s nature, but it breaks my heart.
We used to see those fairly often when I was a kid, dragging the poor huntsman off to it's Aliens-esque doom. Pro tip, if your shoelaces are tied exactly wrong they can mistake your shoelaces for a spider. I only saw it happen once, to dad, it was kinda funny.