An Arizona biologist unlocked a new fear in people when he shared the scary effects of a spider wasp’s sting, that can “immobilise” its victims for months on end.
“It’s like something out of a science fiction movie!” said Andrew Wesley Legan, 30, a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Arizona entomology department in Tucson. He even shared videos detailing the insect’s incapacitating effects that have clocked in millions of views on TikTok.
The wasp called a “tarantula hawk” is the size of a sparrow and resides in the American Southwest. It is known for paralysing the spider with its sting. It then lays eggs in the incapacitated spider, which burst out of its body and feed on the spiders while they’re still alive, according to New York Post.
Apart from its shockingly painful sting that scores a whopping 4 on the Schmidt Pain Index, the wasp is also capable of inducing extreme paralysis.
Legan was walking his dog in his front yard at night when he chanced upon the stung tarantula. “I found a tarantula hawk wasp with her prey, the tarantula,” Legan said in the clip. “The tarantula was completely immobile.”
The wasp, however, flew away from the scene, while the tarantula lay motionless. “I collected the tarantula after it was stung but before the wasp laid an egg, so I’ve had the opportunity to observe the tarantula’s recovery,” Legan said.
At the end of the video, Legan informed that even after five days, the spider remained unresponsive.
A follow-up video taken 17 days after the tarantula’s initial paralysis showed it was still motionless even when Legan lifted up its legs with a paintbrush, as per New York Post. The expert decided to feed the spider some water and squeezed some droplets on its fangs. Thankfully, it appeared to drink it.
In a final video, shot 38 days after the incident, the tarantula was seen taking a few “groggy” steps.
Viewers were absolutely baffled and expressed their thoughts over the wasp’s sting.
“Bro is in spider purgatory,” a user wrote. Another user commented, “I don’t like spiders but why do I kinda feel bad for the tarantula.”
“Thank you so much for looking after this beautiful creature. I’ve been really taken by his journey back to health,” a third user remarked.
According to Legan, the state of paralysis after the wasp’s sting, can last up from two hours to two months.
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