I was extremely fortunate to see a female Tarantula Hawk (Pepsis formosa), a type of wasp, doing battle with a small tarantula. This particular Tarantula Hawk was fairly large (about 2 inches) and had successfully found a small tarantula in our side yard. I was actually trying to get some close up shots of the wasp, not knowing that there was going to be "Mutual of Omaha Wild Kingdom moment". Even though I did not have the right lens to capture the action of the fight, I am glad I was able to get some photos of the encounter none-the-less.

I was following the wasp for about 10 minutes, taking shots as it was trying to locate the "scent" of its prey. The wasp had gone down several holes and then finally found one that was occupied. Most occupied tarantula holes have some telltale spider webs at the entrance, so I figured things might get interesting. The wasp actually went into the hole and stayed there for about 15 seconds then came out, so I assumed the hole was unoccupied. The wasp went back into the hole and about 5 seconds later the tarantula came scrambling out, arms raised (fangs exposed) in the classic defense posture. I was amazed at how quickly this all took place -- lasting only 37 seconds from the time the wasp entered the hole the second time to the total paralysis of the tarantula.

The wasp stings the tarantula and delivers a very potent neurotoxin that doesn't kill the tarantula but merely renders it incapable of moving. The wasp takes the subdued tarantula either into its original hole or into a suitable alternate hole. It then lays an egg onto the abdomen of the spider, which consumes the spider as it develops into a mature wasp. Hopefully, the neurotoxin is effective enough to keep the spider zoinked out through the process (until it dies, of course).