A spider purgatory might ensue. Social media is in a frenzy after an Arizona biologist shared a video showcasing the incapacitating effects of a spider wasp's sting.
The wasp specialist was referring to the tarantula hawk, a sparrow-sized wasp that lives in the American Southwest and is notorious for its sting, which can paralyze its arachnid namesake for months on end.
"It's like something out of a science fiction movie!" exclaimed Andrew Wesley Legan, 30, a postdoctoral student at the University of Arizona's entomology department in Tuscon, whose TikTok video showcasing the insect's astounding knockout power is being watched by millions across the world.
The Tuscon native was on a walk with his dog in his front yard, when he stumbled upon a stung Tarantula. "I found a tarantula hawk wasp with her prey, the tarantula," Legan says in the video. "The tarantula was completely immobile."
“I collected the tarantula after it was stung but before the wasp laid egg, so I've had the opportunity to observe the tarantula's recovery,” said the biologist.
Have you seen “Alien”? the incapacitating process of this spider is similar to that of this 1979, Ridley Scott horror flick. After stinging its prey, it lays eggs inside its body, which then burst out and feed on it, while the prey is still alive.
The infamous sting of this wasp scores a shocking 4 on the Schmidt Pain Index, right under the agony-inducing bullet ant. It is also capable of inducing extreme paralysis.
{{/usCountry}}The infamous sting of this wasp scores a shocking 4 on the Schmidt Pain Index, right under the agony-inducing bullet ant. It is also capable of inducing extreme paralysis.
{{/usCountry}}The video showed the wasp flying away from the scene of the sting while its hairy victim lay motionless in the sand. Andrew rescued the tarantula and brought it home to take care of its paralysis.
As per his experience, this state of paralysis can last from two hours to two months, depending on the species of the wasp. At the end of the video, the biologist commented that the Tarantula remained unresponsive after five days of being rescued.
In a follow-up video, shot 17 days after, the Tarantula remained motionless, even when Legan lifted its legs with a paintbrush. A review article compared different species of spider wasps and a tarantula stung by tarantula hawk wasps took up to 8 months to recover.
The scientist fed it some water to check if it was alive. Thankfully, it appeared t drink the water droplets that were squeezed on his fangs."The tarantula can go for long periods of time without food, but it needs water to survive," Legan explained.
In a final video, shot 38 days later, the little crawler was seen taking groggy steps, learning to walk again.
“Now, more than a month after it was stung, the tarantula is just beginning to slightly move its legs and fangs,” explained Legan.
As always, social media users did not disappoint in their quirky and fun commentary on this scary journey of rebirth.
“Bro is in spider purgatory,” said one while the other wondered if the tarantula was now permeated with “Spiderman”-esque powers.
Many were seen thanking Legan for the kind gesture of saving the spider: “Thank you so much for looking after this beautiful creature. I’ve been really taken by his journey back to health.”