Tarantula Hawk
They're fascinating creatures! They're very docile, and although their sting is the second most painful, it's not deadly. Still, as you should with all wildlife, I kept a safe & respectable distance.
This was a female (curly antennae vs. straight) and they're the only ones who sting. They can grow up to 2 inches long and when they flew past us, we could hear and see them for quite some time as they were moving away.
The females hunt tarantulas, paralyze them with their stingers, then drag them back to their nest to lay an egg in their abdomen. After that, they cover the hole in their nest to prevent the spider from escaping and once the egg hatches, the larvae feeds on the tarantula. They avoid vital organs to keep the tarantula alive for as long as possible so the larvae can develop into an adult.
Tarantula Hawk
They're fascinating creatures! They're very docile, and although their sting is the second most painful, it's not deadly. Still, as you should with all wildlife, I kept a safe & respectable distance.
This was a female (curly antennae vs. straight) and they're the only ones who sting. They can grow up to 2 inches long and when they flew past us, we could hear and see them for quite some time as they were moving away.
The females hunt tarantulas, paralyze them with their stingers, then drag them back to their nest to lay an egg in their abdomen. After that, they cover the hole in their nest to prevent the spider from escaping and once the egg hatches, the larvae feeds on the tarantula. They avoid vital organs to keep the tarantula alive for as long as possible so the larvae can develop into an adult.