Thread by @BugQuestions

Super late to this party (sorry about this!). This is not a 'tarantula hawk', it is a paper wasp.

Tarantula hawks tend to be very "curly", with their antennae forming loops. Paper wasps tend to spread their wings like that, and aren't as "curly".

Thread below.

https://twitter.com/chrissyteigen/status/1022365714106085378

With respect to the replies in @chrissyteigen's thread, it's easy to see how the whole situation can be confusing. If you see a bunch of people arguing, it's hard to know who knows their stuff.

Often times, the loudest people, or the most common replies seem to be correct.

If you ever want to play the game of 'spot the expert', simply look for who is using the physical characteristics of the insects to identify them.

Often times, we skip this step to focus on the cool facts about the biology...but we're always happy to justify our IDs.

Insect identification is very hard, especially from pictures. Entomologists often have to rely on experience.

For instance, here is a fairly standard 'tarantula hawk' wasp. Note the long legs, curled antennae, and how she holds her wings.

flic.kr/p/28kCLU5

Now, compare this wasp to the one in @chrissyteigen's post and the one above. Note the different antennae, the somewhat shorter legs, and the fact she spreads her wings when she lands.

This one more closely resembles Chrissy's wasp.

flic.kr/p/TWmVqQ

Now, of course, there are some other characters here. Tarantula hawks tend to be very nervous, skittish critters and probably wouldn't sit still for as long as Chrissy's did.

So these are the reasons why the entomologists knew pretty quickly that this was not a tarantula hawk.