No, thankfully not me, but the unfortunate rain spider below. My roving reporter a.k.a. Willie, came across this when he was out mountain biking on a nearby forestry road the other day. By the time he saw it, the wasp had already killed the spider and was dragging it off.
[The photo was taken with a cellphone camera, hence the low resolution.]
That’s one interesting cell phone pic! Well done, Willie.
I am amazed that Willie can cycle and still look at what is going on around him.
Wow. Great picture.
Check out the update on the story which I posted this evening. It explains what is going on in the photo.
I’m sorry, WHAT?
A *wasp* killed a *rain spider*????
I am reeling from the shock… I need a cup of tea to calm the nerves. That is a wasp I hope I shall never meet.
Well done for spotting this, Willie.
I’ve discovered that what the wasp does is SO much worse than just killing the spider – see the update on the story which I posted this evening.
Wow, amazing moment to capture on camera. I’m sure you and Willie notice a lot more than I would – thank you for sharing what you see!
Sunshine
Well, we’re both biologists, so have been trained to look out for stuff like that. But since I started the blog, I’ve learned a lot about those areas of biology – like spiders! – that I didn’t know much about.
Awesome photo! And, I’m relieved that you were not the one stung by a wasp! It is shocking to me that a wasp could take down a spider and drag it away.
It made me think of that wasp photo you posted a while back. Obviously, not creatures to be messed with! It is amazing to think that the wasp would take on a spider much bigger than itself.
Wow, Willie! What a photo! I wish I could train myself to notice these kinds of things! Well done!
Thanks! Not sure what my cycling buddy Geoff was thinking when at the top of a very long hill I suddenly jumped of my bike and starting looking for my old cell phone (that accompanies me on cycling and fishing trips) to take the picture. It was easy to spot the spider being dragged by the wasp in reverse gear, both are bright and larger than normal as insects go (that’s the official version anyway; I was staring at the track as the hill was just carrying on and on…). These wasps are incredibly tough, I once accidentally stepped on one and it just got up, shook itself out and just carried on looking for the next spider.
Another photo that is creepy but striking, even using a phone camera.
Maybe a good thing it wasn’t such a clear shot? 🙂 Think I’ve featured enough creepy photos for this week.