I’ve seen this on various docs and it shows the wasp owning the tarantula every single time. Does the tarantula ever stand a decent chance? Even nailing the wasp in 10% of the battles?
I don’t know, but it doesn’t sound very good from this bit:
Interestingly, there is a similar wasp in Boston, MA. I once saw a mond of mud over a doorframe-I broke it open, and a [parayled cpider was inside…meat on the hoof for a baby wasp!
I’ve been wondering this one too. I mean usually the spider is alot larger than the wasp(which tends to target the female spider) you’d think the wasp would be unlucky once in awhile. (Since they’ve both got venom.) Then again from what I know my impression is that wasps are fairly tough insects. (About the only tougher insect I know of are ants.)
Wow, that’s fantastically dark…
God, I have no idea which critter to root for.
Actually I have a much healthier way of viewing the fight. Since at least one of each of these creatures inhabits the planet Earth, the only sensible course of action is to destroy the Earth. NOW.
Perhaps we should blow up the sun just to be sure.
Apparently, they’re raging drunks, too:
[
](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tarantula_hawk)
Now a mean drunk tarantula hawk… That’s not something you’d wanna mess with.
Resurrecting this thread because I just came across the answer.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hemipepsis_ustulata#Body_armor
Pretty much no, the wasp’s exoskeleton is really effective body armor that the spider can’t get through with either its fangs or chew through with its maxilla. BTW I didn’t realize tarantulas can chew but this link shows yes they can
http://animagraffs.com/tarantula/
I thought it was just pierce, pump, suck. (IE pierce the prey with the fangs, pump in digestive fluids, suck out the prey’s guts.)
Well thanks. I think that settles that.