The Orange-horned Tarantula Hawk is one of this island’s most fascinating insects. These wasps are a deep metallic blue, with bright orange antennae. They are some of the island’s key pollinators, since the adults eat nectar from flowers. But the young ones eat tarantulas! And their mothers have a very smart way to make sure their babies always have fresh meat. The adult females are superb hunters. They hunt down tarantulas — but they don’t kill them. Instead, they paralyze them with their venom. Then they bury them in a burrow, and lay eggs on them. When their children hatch, they devour the paralyzed tarantula alive, bit by bit!
Find more fascinating nature stories in Incredibilia!
Called “the best, and most complete, natural history book I have read about any single Caribbean island” by Dr. James “Skip” Lazell, the updated and expanded second edition of this wildlife guide is a unique volume covering all the terrestrial wildlife of St. Martin, from mammals and birds to reptiles and insects. It includes over 500 color photographs, and features hundreds of species, including those which are found only on St. Martin. The text includes detailed information about both the biology and the local history of the animals featured and is written to be accessible to persons of all ages and backgrounds.
