Tarantula Hawk Trivia Quiz

Answer: a type of wasp

Tarantula hawk is the common name for various species of wasps in the genus Pepsis. Tarantula hawks are large, with average adults reaching or slightly exceeding 2 inches (5 cm) in length. Exactly which Pepsis wasps are considered tarantula hawks is a matter of some debate. Some use the term only for species found in South and North America, essentially anywhere tarantulas range, but they are most common in desert regions of Mexico and the southwestern U.S. Some similar species found in Asia and Africa have also been called tarantula hawks.

The idea of a tarantula/hawk hybrid is of course absurd, but once the image of an eight taloned bird of prey (with its distinctive pincerbeak) was in my head, there was no turning back.

Answer: roadrunner

The most common North American species have either a black or blue body with rust orange wings. This distinctive pattern serves as an aposematism, or a passive defense mechanism in the form of a warning. The coloration alerts potential predators that the wasp may not be worth the trouble. It is such an effective defense that several far less dangerous species have developed similar coloration and they are usually passed over at supper time as well. The roadrunner is one of the few critters that ignores the warning and walks away unharmed after gobbling up these wasps.

I have never seen a venus fly trap large enough to capture even one leg of a tarantula hawk and capybaras are herbivores.

If you picked the shark, I don't know what to say.

Answer: nectar from various flowers

Sorry if this was a blatant trick question, but I saw no good way around it. Although females do hunt tarantulas, they do not eat them, aside from any juicy spider insides inadvertantly spilled during the fight.

Answer: he was not wailing hysterically

Tarantula hawks are certainly capable of stinging humans. The sting is not generally fatal, though I suppose there could be some sort of extreme allergic reaction. The sting may cause some swelling and/or discoloration in the immediate area of the wound, but the most noticeable result of the sting (to both the recipient and anyone around them) is excruciating pain which typically results in flailing about, screaming, and saying many words not fit for the ears of children. There are generally no long term effects, but the unlucky few who have been through it have described their condition in the 3-5 minute period of incapacitation immediately following the sting as abject misery, akin to receiving a severe electric shock. Fortunately this is a rare occurrence as tarantula hawks avoid humans and sting them only as a defensive maneuver if the wasp feels threatened and trapped. You would essentially have to be trying to get stung for it to happen.

In this case there was even less of a threat because the wasp, likely old and/or wounded, died in the crib right where it landed (of natural causes not of protective mother action) My neighbor was relieved and even laughed about it once her initial fears were eased. Still, it seems like it was at least a year before I saw her windows open again.

Answer: as a host for their young

The tarantula hawk stings the spider into paralysis but does not kill it. Instead it drags the spider back to its own nest (no small feat as the tarantula is often quite a bit larger than the wasp) and lays an egg on the upturned abdomen, the adult wasp then leaves and seals both the exit and the spider's doom. The larval wasp starts to slowly eat away at the insides of the spider, carefully avoiding vital organs to keep their meal alive and viable long enough to support their growth over the three to four week incubation period. When they hit a critical point they voraciously consume the remaining innards to finally finish off the poor spider and shortly thereafter, emerge as a young wasp.

The tarantula hawk usually hunts female tarantulas, not necessarily by preference, but for convenience as female spiders stay near the nest, providing a ready made spider lair/burial chamber. If however the wasp finds a roaming male tarantula, they will attack just the same and dig a pit themselves.

Answer: by smell

Apparently tarantulas stink (while I dont exactly have arachnophobia, I admit I have never cared to get close enough to smell one). Tarantula hawks can sniff out a tarantula even if the spider is inside its nest, and the wasps are not shy about attacking.

They will approach the nest and pluck at the web to simulate prey being entangled in the spider's trap. When the spider emerges expecting to collect a meal, it finds a nasty surprise. Occasionally the wasp will even enter the spider's nest to roust and expel the tarantula for a fight if the spider doesn't emerge soon enough to suit the tarantula hawk's timetable.

Answer: the wasp lands and circles the spider on foot looking for a clear strike

Though tarantula hawks have a graceful, controlled flight and have been compared to both hummingbirds and helicopters, the wasp cannot attack from the air. The wasp has to sting the spider in a particular spot on the soft underside of the abdomen and it would be quite an accomplishment to drop from above and get under the spider in stinging position before the spider noticed. The wasps instead land when hunting, and approach by walking. They then usually feign attack from the front so the tarantula rears up with its front legs lifted off the ground in a menacing pose. This is meant as a threat but it is exactly what the wasp wants as this exposes the soft underside target. However the spider is also in attack position, so a tense standoff ensues. The wasps employ a number of maneuvers to get in stinging position while trying not to let the spider bite. These include circling around to try and outmaneuver the turning spider and striking from the side or behind. The wasp also sometimes does an odd looking scoot while lying on its back to try and get under the spider and sting from below. With smaller tarantulas, the wasp has the strength to grab a leg and flip the spider over on its back and sting them before they can right themselves.

If you haven't seen the movie, you will have to decide for yourself whether it is worth a look but, if you know what a Razzie is, I think it won all of them that year.

Answer: hanging out looking for a mate

Male tarantula hawks commonly engage in an activity known as hilltopping. The male will select an elevated position such as a tall stalk of grass or, as the term suggests, a small hill. Then it is much like human males at a construction site or a bar waiting for a woman to walk past. (except in this case it is not a team effort.

The males are territorial and will fight for sole possession of a good "hill".

Answer: False

The first sting usually fully incapacitates a tarantula whereas the spider has to get several bites in to break the wasp down. The wasp also has an edge in agility and speed as well as the obvious bonus of being able to take flight in a pinch. All of this gives a sizeable advantage to the wasp but the wasp does have to get in position to sting the bottom of the spider and is usually vulnerable for a short time while doing so. The tarantula rarely gains enough of an advantage to kill the wasp, but it does happen once in a great while. Typically the fight will be fatal for one of the participants. A draw where both parties mutually retreat is even more rare than a tarantula victory.

Tarantula hawks can also become entangled in the webs of smaller spiders where they are just as helpless as any other flying insect caught that way.

Answer: True

They eat nectar and fermentation happens, so if they pick the wrong flower, they may have some trouble flying away afterward. With a sense of smell sharp enough to find underground spiders, I do have to wonder how much of an accident it is when they land on an overripe flower patch and start drinking like a ... barfly.