Nature takes no prisoners, so it seems here in the rainforest. Walking to and from field sites can lead to chance encounters with a beautiful butterfly, plant or frog, but also with the more beastly elements of ecological communities. Take these two intricately linked specimens.
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| Pepsis rubra, the tarantula hawk |
The first was found at the end stages of its life, buzzing and bashing noisily amongst the leaf litter. An unbelievable site given its size at and its stunning scarlet wings and jade black body, this
Pepsis wasp is the largest of the world’s hymenopterans (social insects). And as if that were not impressive enough, beyond simple predation of its victims, this sizable critter attaches itself to the back of its foe long enough to inject fertile eggs into the abdomen, hatching later to leave the hungry brood with eating their way out as the only option. And who might its prime victim be?
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| Theraphosa blondi, the Goliath Birdeater |
This handsome chap was centimetres away from my foot before I realised what was in front of me, a spider the size of a dinner plate. My colleague informed me of its name,
Theraphosa blondi , more commonly known as the Goliath birdeater. Whilst birds are almost certainly not on its menu (the name derives from an overambitious portrait by an eager naturalist painter), it hunts rodents and others at night. Needless to say that I no longer walk in flipflops for those late night calls of nature.
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