I am definitely one of those people who will tell you that spiders get an unfairly bad rap.
As you may have heard , it’s often better to keep them in your house than it is to kill them because they can usually take care of other pests for you. I’ve also found that whenever I notice a spider on my ceiling, we’re usually pretty good at staying out of each other’s way.
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Having said that, however, I can still understand the revulsion many people have towards them. Something that has as many legs and eyes as a spider can definitely inspire some creepy feelings, and that’s not even mentioning the ones that are legitimately deadly.
But as one viral photo shows, it’s probably the other insects capable of eating the spider that we should really be worried about.
If we were to rank the most misunderstood spiders, the huntsman would probably belong near the top of the list.
Its size, long legs, and creepy appearance make it a pretty reviled spider among certain pockets of the internet, but it’s not a terribly dangerous spider.
While its bite can certainly hurt, its not venomous and it’s known to be timid enough that you’re unlikely to be bitten if you don’t provoke it.
But whether or not you find the Huntsman intimidating, this photo will likely inspire a hearty “NOPE.”
You may have already guessed this, but this photo comes from Sydney, Australia and depicts the mighty huntsman on the losing side of a battle with a giant, fearsome wasp.
While this match-up may not occur much outside of Australia, I have some bad news if you think that’s the only place the spider-killer can show up.
According to Wired , the tarantula hawk wasp that we saw preparing to chow down on the giant spider can also be found in the southwestern United States and it’s a fairly common sight in Texas.
And what makes this particularly bad news is the fact that the tarantula hawk’s sting is legendarily excruciating.
Although the pain only lasts for about three minutes, those three minutes are spent with a “fiercely electric” pain that ranks among the most unbearable agony the human body can experience.
It’s so painful, in fact, that actual peer-reviewed medical advice for dealing with a tarantula hawk sting is to lie down and scream.
As Ben Hutchins of Texas Parks and Wildlife told Wired , “Few if any people could maintain verbal and physical coordination after getting stung by one of these things. You’re likely to just run off and hurt yourself. So just lie down and start yelling.”
While all of this rightly makes the tarantula hawk sound like a nightmare come to life, there is some good news.
Namely, that it’s far more interested in attacking spiders than it is in attacking you. As long as you can avoid stepping on it or touching it, it’s pretty likely to just ignore you.
h/t: Wired