When I was outside late this afternoon, I happened to see a large insect trying to drag a dead Tarantula back to its own lair:
A Dead Tarantula Being Dragged by Other Insect
I don’t know what kind of insect that was …
Colourful Insect
… but it did make a determined effort to drag that Tarantula away:
You’re Bigger Than Me, But I’ll Get You Home!
And that’s it for today. I do have more pictures of the local critter gang, and I will publish them soon, but for now I’m calling it a day. I’ve been at the computer for quite some time for the last few days, trying to find a way to clone my hard disk, as I need to put in a bigger one, and I seem to have found a programme that works, but it took me quite a long time with trial and error [in spite if the manuals], and now I am – I must admit – fed up with doing more work with the computer. That’s quite rare for me, btw, but I’ll just upload this posting, plus the corresponding one in German, and then call it a day and watch Perry Mason on MeTV, which has become quite a regular feature here with Mary and me in the evenings.
A German Expat's Life in Texas 
I think this is some kind of a wasp burying their victims in the sand and leaving an egg on their bellies. The victims are not dead, only paralyzed, and will be eaten alive once the the young wasp are born.
Hi there,
Thanks for taking yout time to visit my blog and leave a comment. As someoen else explained, this insect lays its eggy in the belly of the tarantula for them to hatch there and live off the flesh of the tarantula.
Best regards from southern Texas,
Pit
Actually, that tarantula is not dead. It’s merely paralyzed. The tarantula hawk is taking it back to its den where it will lay a single egg on the tarantula’s abdomen. When the little egg hatches, the baby tarantula hawk will devour the tarantula, saving its internal organs for last so that the tarantula survives as long as possible to make good food for the baby tarantula hawk.
Hi Russel,
Thanks for the explanation. From what the tarantula here in this picture looked like, I certainly had the impression it was dead.
Take care, and have a good one,
Pit
I see a commenter already told you it’s a tarantula hawk. Great pictures!
Hi Russel,
Thanks for taking your time to visit my blog and leaving a comment. That’s what I like about the internet in general and blogging in particular: you mention you don’t know something and hey presto you get an answer! And you meet new friends.
Take care, and have a good one,
with regards, this time, from Germany,
Pit
Wow ..das sind beeindruckende Bilder!! da würde mich wirklich interessieren, was für ein Insekt das ist. Ein sehr “kräftiges” auf jeden Fall..so eine Tarantel ist ja auch nicht “ohne”. Für eine Art Mutprobe durfte ich mal eine in die Hand nehmen. Ganz vorsichtig … sie hat mir nichts getan 😉 Vermutlich war sie satt ..grins.
Liebe sonnige Grüsse zu dir nach Texas, und ein schönes Wochenende wünscht dir Ocean
Hallo Ocean,
danke für’s Lob. Das Insekt ist, wie ein anderer Blogger in einem Kommentar [kannst ja mal reinschauen hier in den Kommentaren, denn er schreibt ein paar ganz interessante Dinge] geschrieben hat, eine “Tarantula Hawk”. Habe ich nóch nie etwas von gehört. Ich war aber ganz faszinhiert davon, wie dieses Insekt die deutlich größere (tote) Tarantel in Richtung auf sein Zuhause zerrte. Und Du hast eine Tarantel schon in der Hand gehabt? Da hast Du mir etwas voraus. Und ich reiße mich bestimmt nicht danach, es Dir gleich zu tun. brrrrrrrrr Muss nicht sein.
Liebe Grüße aus dem südlichen Texas,
Pit
Love creepy bug pictures, so will be looking forward to more pictures. But I was especially interested in the Perry Mason comment. I used to watch the shows with my dad, and I still love them!
Hi Maddie,
Thanks for taking your time to stop by and leave a comment.
Well, I don’t love those creatures themselves, but I do love to take pictures of them.
Re Perry Mason: in my youth, when I was still living in Germany, I only saw a very few of the shows. But here, especially since we can get MeTv, they have become quite a fixture for my wife and me.
Take care, and have a good one,
Pit
Was bin ich froh, dass wir diese mega Monster nicht auch hier haben…Himmel..schon beim Anschauen befällt mich die Panik….
Aber die Fotos sind trotzdem toll 😉
Liebe Grüße
Solange sie draußen bleiben, habe ich ja nichts gegen diese Monster. Bloß nicht so angenehm, dass wir hier gelegentlich (kleine) Skorpione sogar im Haus haben. Ist eben die hiesige Bauweise, auf Holzfundament. Da müssen wir dann eben aufpassen und immer mit Hausschuhen rumlaufen. Mal sehen, ob ich gelegentlich auch so ein Viech fotografieren kann.
Liebe Grüße aus dem südlichen Texas,
Pit
It’s called a tarantula hawk. It’s a wasp. It will sting the tarantula, paralyze it, and drag it into hole. It then lays eggs on the poor bugger so the young have a nice fresh meal. Just thought you’d want to know…
Hi there,
Thanks for taling your time and explaining what insect it is plus the additional info about it. That’s something I really appreciate. It’s definitely an advantage of the internet and blogging: people in the know to help you learn more.
Take care, and have a good one,
Pit
Hallo Pit, habe alles gelesen. Solche Tiere gibt es hier nicht in der freien Natur. Viel Spaß am PC.
LG. Wolfgang
Hallo Wolfgang,
sei froh, dass Ihr die nicht habt.
Liebe Grüße aus dem südlichen Texas.
Pit
Thank Ceiling Cat this tarantula was dead!!
Purrs
Hi Texas,
Thanks for stopping by that late in the night, read my blog and even leave a comment! 🙂 I really appreciate that. 🙂
I agree: it’s good the Tarantula was dead. But soon there will be some pics of live ones. Hope you won’t be too scared.
take care, and a good night to you.
Sally and the 7 felines send their regards,
Pit