WHAT EATS A TARANTULA?

What eats a tarantula?

In this case, the answer might surprise you. We think of the tarantula as a ferocious arachnid (an eight-legged animal) large enough and powerful enough to attack, kill, and eat a variety of other prey, including small mammals and avians, not to mention almost any insect unlucky enough to cross its path. A cricket, we think, would be no match for a tarantula.

But in the Australian bush there lives the bulldog raspy cricket—a formidable bug with mandibles like razors and spines on its legs that are as sharp as knives. Not only would a tarantula have a hard time subduing a bulldog raspy cricket, but this is one cricket that often makes a meal out of a tarantula!

This video clip is a little long, but it’s exciting to watch. Enjoy it!