If a large tarantula spider happened upon a scorpion, which would win? I have a feeling that the scorpion would, because the spider’s fangs would be unable to penetrate the shell of the scorpion. Anyway, this is inspired by youtube-where some people have posted “fights” between such ceatures. Normally, wouldn’t spiders and scorpions avoid eachother? Ans, those very large “goliath” spiders-do they commonly feed on mice and small ammals?
Goliath spiders generally eat insects, but they can and do eat frogs, mice, and small birds and bats.
If anything the opposite would be true. Large spiders can happily penetrate the elytra of beetles. In contrast most scorpions have to find joints to manage to puncture even a large grashpper.
No. I’ve seen many scorpions caught in spiders webs. I once counted three scorpions in single spider web. One was still alive, the others had been bound and presumably eaten.
Some do. They will tend to eat whatever they can catch and that includes birds and other vertebrates.
The spider, if it’s prepared.
Well, the mental image I’m getting is between two badasses, say, an Australian Funnel-Web Weaver and an Arabian Fat-Tailed Scorpion, both of which are capable of killing humans.
The mental image I’m getting has it that the spider rushes at the scorpion in an attempt to get close enough to sink its fangs in, but the scorpion slams the spider a few times with its stinger and succeeds in making it very dead very quickly. Sort of like rushing a knife-wielding opponent with your bare teeth — he has the better reach and will get the first strike in. But then again, IANAArachnologist…
When I was in the Boy Scouts (many years ago), there was a wierd desert store/tourist trap dude who arranged “fights” between such critters. Scorpions, Tarantulas and Centipedes. The Scorpions almost always won. That is a very small sample of local species of course. The Scorpion used was hwaaaaay faster than the slow California desert Tarantula.
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Blake** has likely seen a larger sample, rather than the 3 or so species I watched “duel” as a youth.
The scariest insect I have personally run into is the “Tarantula Hawk” wasp- very large, shiney jet black body, day-glo orange wings. One of my Zoo profs had been stung by one, and his hand had a swelling that I swear was grape-fruit sized. He said it hurt like flaming fuck. They prey upon tarantulas.
When talking to my brother (stationed in Iraq) on the phone, he mentioned that he spends his spare time pitting his Scorpion Dwayne (not his real name, but something my brother would name it) against other soldiers’ scorpions and spiders. So far Dwayne is undefeated in the Baghdad circuit, and my brother ‘trains’ him and keeps him in fighting shape with a steady diet of insects and mice :eek: .
There have been many contenders, including several spiders. Clearly my brother has the Maximus of scorpions 
I would like to see a video of a scorpian just walking along chillin and then BAM falls into the trap of a Trapdoor Spider. Then all hell breaks out and they fight to the death!
In that case, I might imagine the spider would win; the scorpion would need room to use its stinger, and in a trapdoor spider burrow, there’s not a while lotta room.