hurricane season again

[Da_elf]

that cant be real sized

[Adam H. Stewart]

True alright - and it gets worse - Jesus !

....The tarantula hawks prefer female tarantulas and seek them in their burrows. They capture (often following a dramatic battle), sting and paralyze the spider. Next they either drag the spider back into her own burrow or transport their prey to a specially prepared nest where a single egg is laid on the spider’s body, and the entrance is covered. The wasp larva, upon hatching, begins to suck the juices from the still-living spider. After the larva grows a bit, the spider dies and the larva plunges into the spider's body and feeds voraciously, avoiding vital organs for as long as possible to keep it fresh. - source Wikipedia

http://www.desertusa.com/video_pages/thawk1.html - what it drag a spider to it's doom.

- although I'm not sure I have huge amount of sympathy for the tarantulas involved - I had no idea such things exist and in California to boot.

[sea2stars]

Good grief.

Um. I think we're going to need a bigger fly swatter the next time I visit CA. I wouldn't even want that thing to hit my windshield!

[dlparisi]

Yikes I'm not really afraid of bugs but that thing would scare the shit out of me if it was flying towards me. No wonder my wife didn't want to stay in LA.

via wikipedia...

These wasps are usually not aggressive[1], but the sting, particularly of Pepsis formosa, is among the most painful of any insect. Commenting on his own experience, one researcher described the pain as "...immediate, excruciating pain that simply shuts down one’s ability to do anything, except, perhaps, scream. Mental discipline simply does not work in these situations."[2] It is listed near the top of the list in Schmidt Sting Pain Index. Although the sting is quite painful the effect is reported to last only a few minutes and is fatal less often than the honey bee. Because of their stingers, very few animals are able to eat them; one of the few animals that can is the roadrunner.

[sea2stars]

The best of both in Australia...



Spider Wasp as Cryptocheilus bicolor, and specifically mentions its fondness for Huntsman Spiders. The site states: "Spider Wasps are active in gardens during summer months. The Spider Wasp most commonly encountered is Cryptocheilus bicolor . This is a very large (up to 35 mm long) black wasp with orange wings and legs and a broad orange band around its abdomen. It holds its wings up when resting but flicks them when it hops and runs about on its long legs. Spider wasps are often seen digging in soft sandy soil, dragging huntsman spiders along. "

[DaForce]

*shivers*

[TRGraphics]

I live in a small community on the water with canals about 50 miles south of Galveston, TX. We have a 10 ft gator that has made it's home in our canal. Every morning when I go to get the paper it's at my bulckhead just looking up at me with a big grin.

We have hundreds of gators in our area but this one just will not leave. One good thing is that stray dogs and cats are no longer a problem! I do worrry about the young kids in the area but they all know better than swimming in the canal now and stay away.

The thing that bothers me is that he is not afraid of humans. He will come up and sun himself on land during the day with people and cars very close by. Fish and Game have tried several times but they just can't catch this monster.

It's kinda scary having to look for this thing every time you go out your door.

[Adam H. Stewart]

Swimming with Gators

Yeh my Austrailian cousin who was over doesn't mind spiders at all, but Gators, make his blood run cold

When I was a kid - 6 years old - we did an exchange with a family in Oaklahoma. These exchanges where a big deal in the 70's - 80's. We went to stay with a family that lived on this massive ranch. One morning me and my brother went for a walk, found an old creek / lake and decided to go for a swim. When the people we where staying with heard what we had done they went beserk, apparently there where Gators, and water snakes and all kinds of dangerous creatures living in that same creek - trust the Irish Gobshites to almost get themselves killed - Ah innocence is bliss !!

[instinct]

Hmm...nothing too spectacular here in Germany lol....that was about the "weirdest" encounter i had:






That one flew in at night while working when i was still in Sindelfingen. We first thought it was a small Bird or a bat....we just heard the sound...then it was silent so we went looking for it...and it was right next to my feet next to the workstation lol. (Pic 1)

What really creeps me tho are camel spiders...these beasts are HUGE :

An yes, they are no spiders actually, but solpugids...so they are "non spider arachnids" lol...But heck...such a fucker at 10mph sure is scary i guess

http://youtube.com/watch?v=nFm_Pv6LevQ

scared Regards,
Thorsten

[Adam H. Stewart]

Camel Spider Creeps

That camel spider is one of the creepiest things I've seen in ages - Jesus Christ, good old Utube, if there is a better use for the internet I haven't found it, watching spiders eat lizards and frogs in grainy video so chilling and yet you cannot turn it off - rock on

[Da_elf]

we get these big moths here all the time

[Da_elf]

well. its this time of the year again where my internet is always set to intellicast.com. looks like we will be getting whipped by the tail end of that storm from those north to south winds and to think a friend of mine is going to be having a pool party tonight. she needs to learn to turn on the weather once in a while

[rmejia]

yeah baby! hurricane season! bring it on!

[jacksc02]

not many poisonous creatures here in the Uk, like the weather really.....its all a little bland!

[Neilg]

not many poisonous creatures here in the Uk, like the weather really.....its all a little bland!

I hate the place 90% of the time, but after reading this thread I suddenly love it again. The most dangerous animal on our streets is a drunk 15 year old nearing the end of his third course of steroids...