Tarantula Hawks, One of the Largest Wasps
Visit my website/blog
RoseGraphics
Come visit my store on CafePress!
Visit My Other Lenses
Make Your Own Christmas Ornaments
Stinky & Friends
High Desert Gardening-Collecting Seeds
High Desert Gardening
Holiday Gingerbread Cake
Ghost Towns of the West - Bodie
Get in Shape with Pilates
Tips from a Graphic Designer
Lake Tahoe - Vikingsholm
Wild Horses and Burros of Nevada
All photos copyright RoseGraphics
Tarantula Hawk on Rabbitbrush
We have them during the summers in our backyard and they are not aggressive toward humans, unless of course you try to pick them up or accidentally press against one. I took a couple of photos of a very large one on rabbitbrush. They are really interesting to look at.
Hooked Claws
The females hunt for wandering tarantulas to sting and paralyze. Once captured, the tarantula is dragged into the female's burrow or a specially prepared nest where she lays a single egg on the still living tarantula. When the larva hatches, it sucks the fluids from the tarantula and as the larva grows, the tarantula will die and the larva will consume the entire body, leaving the vital organs intact until last, so they wil stay fresh.
Interestingly, because Tarantula Hawks have such large stingers, they have very few enemies. The only animal that is able to eat them is the Roadrunner (BeeBeep!)
Drops of Water on Hawk from Summer Thunderstorm
Visit my Blog for Photography Tips
Fetching RSS feed... please stand by
Fun Insect Shirts!
Copper Dragonfly Women's Long Sleeve Dark T-Shirt
Price: 29.99 
Cobalt BlueTarantula Long Sleeve Dark T-Shirt
Price: 34.99
Tarantula Photo Kids Light T-Shirt
Price: 16.99
Tarantula Photo Baseball Jersey
Price: 19.99
Books on Insects
Learn More About the Most Numerous and Diverse Animals on Earth
Attack of the Tarantula Hawk
No Tarantula is Safe!
Tatantula Hawk attacks Tarantula
Tarantula hawks stalk, capture and paralyze tarantula spiders. An egg is laid on the victim; the spider is buried alive with the larva, which hatches within a few days. It pupates after it has consumed the spider.
Runtime: 0:39
112781 views
10 Comments:
curated content from YouTube
The Kill (actually the Paralyze)
Do You Love or Hate Insects?
Either way, they are interesting creatures.
Share your insect stories and comments.
ElizabethJeanAllen wrote...
Hi,
My name is Elizabeth Jean Allen and I am the new group leader for the Nature and the Outdoors Group.
Welcome.
Lizzy
Posted May 24, 2009
naturegirl7 wrote...
Love insects. Without insects, our world would be in chaos. Welcome to the Naturally Native Squids group. Don't forget to add your lens link to the appropriate plexo and vote for it.
Posted February 24, 2009
RinchenChodron wrote...
We need insects and should honor all sentient beings! Thanks for another beautiful lens - you are a talented photographer!
Posted January 18, 2009
Ramkitten wrote...
Eeeew, these "birds" give me the heebie-geebies. But, still, I included them as one of my "favorite" critters of the Coconino National Forest, partly because they do give me a good adreneline jolt whenever they fly by. Lensrolling this to http://www.squidoo.com/coconinonationalforest and five stars, too.
Posted January 12, 2009
enslavedbyfaeries wrote...
What a truly amazing bug! Welcome to the Going Buggy Group! You are being featured, but ironically the group seems to have a bug and I can't move the modules without being logged out. I promise to move you to a better spot as soon as I can. :)
Posted August 14, 2008
by Stinky
Explore related pages
Authentic Acadian Recipes From The Bayou- There are thousands of recipes floating around on the internet and some are good...
Do NOT buy Quick Income Blueprint - Quick Income Blueprint Review- Do NOT buy Quick Income Blueprint before you read this review. I have had the ra...
Disney Classics Kids Movies That Make Us Laugh and Cry- They are great for entertainment and family fun. The characters are fun, funny,...
Praying Mantis -- Its Cannibalistic Nature- Growing up I was a bit of a tomboy and would pick up just about anything except...
Insects-Why Do They Do It- There are many amazing happenings on our planet, some easily explainable and som...
Clearwing Hummingbird Moth- One may think there's a tiny little baby hummingbird flying among the flowers, b...
