[Lee Stewart]

Tarantula hawk

It takes courage to take down a tarantula, but this bug, a species of spider wasp, has honed its assault skills to perfection. The female uses its sting to paralyze its hairy adversary, but doesn't kill it. Instead, she lays a single egg on the spider's body. Later, after hatching, the larva burrows its way inside the spider's abdomen and begins feasting on the still-living tarantula. By the way, a sting from a tarantula hawk is one of the most painful and debilitating a human can experience!