I was walking with my family yesterday and I heard an aggressive, hissing, rattling noise in the bush just off the path that we were using. I stopped and quickly found a large pompilid wasp dragging a huge baboon spider carcass. The wasp had hissed at us in defence of its prey.

I went to collect my camera, and a flash since it was getting dark, and returned to find the wasp preparing to cross the track with its prize. Despite the huge size of the prey, it was moving fast so I needed a flash to give enough light to freeze the movement (with an aperture of f11 to get enough depth of field at that close range).

Images of wildlife from photo safari with edward selfe

The hissing noise led me to this scene.

Here’s a short video which shows the huge disparity in size between predator and prey. The strength on display is impressive.

Images of wildlife from photo safari with edward selfe

Lying on the ground, I had a better angle but the wasp was highly aggressive any time I moved, so I had to be careful.

Images of wildlife from photo safari with edward selfe

Despite some large obstacles, the wasp was able to drag this large carcass for more than 20m while we watched.

Sadly the story won’t end well for the spider. The wasp has paralysed the spider with its sting and will now bury its body in the ground and lay an egg on its abdomen. The wasp larva will emerge and feed on the spider’s paralysed body before pupating and becoming an adult. Nature can be grim at times.