20 Imported Fire Ants vs 1 tarentula

Omega-13 · Post by **Omega-13** » 2004-12-24 09:35pm

A small wooded area, the ants are starving, the spider is starving, there are only 20 ants, no backup,

who wins?

Anarchist Bunny · Post by **Anarchist Bunny** » 2004-12-24 10:10pm

Spider is an awfully vague term.

Enforcer Talen · Post by **Enforcer Talen** » 2004-12-24 10:27pm

view the title =p its a tarantula =p

Frank Hipper · Post by **Frank Hipper** » 2004-12-24 11:16pm

The tarantula's fangs are so big it couldn't even bite an ant, it's 100% defensless.

Taco Pope · Post by **Taco Pope** » 2004-12-25 01:58am

The tarantula can crush ants with it's pedipalps or fangs. New world tarantulas can also flick barbed spines that are filled with venom at the ants. Although I don't know what, if any, effect these would have on the ants. I'm not sure if 20 ants is enough to take down the tarantula.

It also depends on the tarantula. The 4" one will probably have a more difficult time than the 12".

Shroom Man 777 · Post by **Shroom Man 777** » 2004-12-25 02:10am

A Wolf Spider would have better chances, being fast and going Predator on the ants. No, the barbed spines won't do jack to the ants, its a defense mechanism for big predators (anteaters, people, leprechauns). Anyway, this would be an interesting fight...how big are fire ants anyway?

Taco Pope · Post by **Taco Pope** » 2004-12-25 02:26am

1/8 to 1/4 of an inch.

Howedar · Post by **Howedar** » 2004-12-25 05:00am

Taco Pope wrote:The tarantula can crush ants with it's pedipalps or fangs.

Ants move kinda fast, you know.

New world tarantulas can also flick barbed spines that are filled with venom at the ants.

No.

Taco Pope · Post by **Taco Pope** » 2004-12-25 10:01am

Howedar wrote:Ants move kinda fast, you know.

Not nearly as fast as a tarantula.

Howedar wrote:No.

No what? No they won't effect the ants? I agree.

Wicked Pilot · Post by **Wicked Pilot** » 2004-12-25 10:31am

Are either of them armed? Do they have intelligence reports about their enemy? And what is their level of training?

FireNexus · Post by **FireNexus** » 2004-12-25 11:18am

Are either of them armed? Do they have intelligence reports about their enemy? And what is their level of training?

Well, the tarantula has standard predator gear, and the fire ants are delta force.

Howedar · Post by **Howedar** » 2004-12-25 09:09pm

Taco Pope wrote:
Howedar wrote:Ants move kinda fast, you know.
Not nearly as fast as a tarantula.

Ants are considerably more agile.

Howedar wrote:No.
No what? No they won't effect the ants? I agree.

"No" like "tarantulas don't shoot poisonous hairs out their asses".

Admiral Valdemar · Post by **Admiral Valdemar** » 2004-12-25 10:46pm

Howedar wrote:"No" like "tarantulas don't shoot poisonous hairs out their asses".

Actually, they can. And they do. The hairs he's referring to are known as setae in the bio-lingo (or urticating spines) and are found on other species (copepods move damn fast because of these, try catching one in a pipette, it's bloody hard). These hairs made of chitin also come in varying forms (Type-I to Type-IV with varying configurations) and work as everything from motion sensors to waterproofing and adhesion aids, but they can be used as a medium range defence mechanism that irritates larger prey by inhalation or direct skin contact which can cause inflammation, though this depends greatly on species. Against a fire ant's exoskeleton though, they won't do jack, like chlorine gas against NBC warriors.

Given the ability of ants to personify the model team force and work together to overcome, well, anything. I give this to the ants. A tarantula simply isn't built to attack such organisms.

Howedar · Post by **Howedar** » 2004-12-25 11:37pm

Yeah, they basically sluff off irritating hairs, right? Kinda like my cat, only less fluffy.

Admiral Valdemar · Post by **Admiral Valdemar** » 2004-12-25 11:43pm

Howedar wrote:Yeah, they basically sluff off irritating hairs, right? Kinda like my cat, only less fluffy.

That, again, can depend on species. I have seen videos of one type (Old World species, probably Australian, IIRC) basically launching them like a very dense MLRS battery. Others just brush them off with their legs, some have them shed off quite easily, others actively release them. Some cause an itching for a minute, others can potentially kill and inflame for days.

In anycase, an uncessary factor in this battle which will be decided by the arachnid's ability to manoeuvre and crush the ants rather than the usual defences.

Howedar · Post by **Howedar** » 2004-12-25 11:49pm

I've never been concerned with non-North-American tarantulas. They could very well do some crazy shit.

Admiral Valdemar · Post by **Admiral Valdemar** » 2004-12-25 11:54pm

It's nearly 0500 of Boxing Day morning here and I'm no arachnophile, but I believe New World species are more defensive, so it may be South American species that utilise setae of sufficient irritation in this manner more than Old Worlders. I think South American tarantulas avoid confrontations unlike their bite first, ask questions later brothers on the other side of the planet.

I could have that totally the wrong way geographically speaking, but the principle is the same.

Kreshna Aryaguna Nurzaman · Post by **Kreshna Aryaguna Nurzaman** » 2004-12-26 07:45am

Well, would anyone start such experiment, tape it, and convert it to MPG format so each of us can enjoy the Tarantula-Fireant matchup?

Omega-13 · Post by **Omega-13** » 2004-12-26 11:06am

I want to purchase an Ant Colony with Imported Red Fireants, they are the most badass, then drop insects in there when i catch them outside and see what happens

A colony usually has between 20 and 30 ants in it, it will be very cool.

I personally feel the fireants would win, they would be crawling all over the spider, biting it, attacking the eyes etc...

Frank Hipper · Post by **Frank Hipper** » 2004-12-26 12:38pm

A tarantula would be slolwly eaten alive by the ants, spiders do not stomp on enemies like skittish housewives no matter how big they are, they don't have the eyesight or reactions for it, dumbasses.
Ants do not have large, meaty, mucus covered respitory tracts for a tarantula's defensive hairs to act against. What orifice do people propose that an ant inhale one of these hairs through?

This thread rates for some of the most ignorant, and downright moronic reponses I've ever read on SDN. Tarantulas stomping ants, for fuck's sake...

Admiral Valdemar · Post by **Admiral Valdemar** » 2004-12-26 01:03pm

Frank Hipper wrote:A tarantula would be slolwly eaten alive by the ants, spiders do not stomp on enemies like skittish housewives no matter how big they are, they don't have the eyesight or reactions for it, dumbasses.
Ants do not have large, meaty, mucus covered respitory tracts for a tarantula's defensive hairs to act against. What orifice do people propose that an ant inhale one of these hairs through?

This thread rates for some of the most ignorant, and downright moronic reponses I've ever read on SDN. Tarantulas stomping ants, for fuck's sake...

When I said "crush", I meant with the pedipalps which it could quite easily do should an ant be unfortunate enough to be in the way, but the spider is nowhere near able enough to chase 20 of these guys around and try a similar trick without suffering severe damage. The hairs are indeed useless, as clarification, they don't need to be inhaled at all to get their preferred effect, they just produce more irritation in the respiratory tract.

There are far better arachnid adversaries for this match. The Tarantula is screwed however.

Typhonis 1 · Post by **Typhonis 1** » 2004-12-26 01:32pm

http://www.dpi.qld.gov.au/fireants/

Colony size
http://www.safe2use.com/pests/fireants/factoids.htm

Average colony is between 100,000 and 500,000 individuals

remeber an ant is a variety of flightless wasp

ALL ants can sting its just human skin is too thick then you get something like a fire ant .......

look up Bullet and Bulldog ants as well ....yes those are the actual names of two species of ants.

Omega-13 · Post by **Omega-13** » 2004-12-28 02:31pm

Admiral Valdemar wrote:
Frank Hipper wrote:A tarantula would be slolwly eaten alive by the ants, spiders do not stomp on enemies like skittish housewives no matter how big they are, they don't have the eyesight or reactions for it, dumbasses.
Ants do not have large, meaty, mucus covered respitory tracts for a tarantula's defensive hairs to act against. What orifice do people propose that an ant inhale one of these hairs through?

This thread rates for some of the most ignorant, and downright moronic reponses I've ever read on SDN. Tarantulas stomping ants, for fuck's sake...
When I said "crush", I meant with the pedipalps which it could quite easily do should an ant be unfortunate enough to be in the way, but the spider is nowhere near able enough to chase 20 of these guys around and try a similar trick without suffering severe damage. The hairs are indeed useless, as clarification, they don't need to be inhaled at all to get their preferred effect, they just produce more irritation in the respiratory tract.

There are far better arachnid adversaries for this match. The Tarantula is screwed however.

Do you feel any one arachnid can take on 20 Red Imported Fire Ants? And if so which one and why? I have a video at home and it showed ants attacking a scorpion, it did quickly as the ants were to small for it to sting.