Tarantula

 

Location: Tarantulas are found in warm areas around the world. They are commonly found in South America.

-Tarantulas are divided between Old World Tarantulas and New World Tarantulas.

·         Old World Tarantulas are found in the "Old World" meaning Africa, Asia, Europe etc.

They are more aggressive and bite as their main form of defence.

·         New World Tarantulas are found in the "New World" meaning North and South America. Most New World Tarantulas have urticating hairs as their main form of defence.

·         Tarantulas are the largest arachnids

·         These spiders are large, bulky and very hairy

·         Most are dark in colour from black to brown

·         Female Funnel-web Spiders can live up to 20 years!

·         They are gentle but can be aggressive when provoked.

·         Their hair on their bodies act as a defence mechanism against predators

The Bite

 Tarantulas have very powerful fangs and can deliver a decent amount of venom. Despite their scary appearance and reputation, none of the tarantulas are known to have a bite which is deadly to humans.

·   If bitten the bite will feel like a bee sting. Some species deliver more painful bites than others but you should not experience severe symptoms because the venom of a tarantula is weak. If you do receive symptoms they are likely to be from an allergic reaction.

Urticating hair

Urticating hair are irritating hairs that is one of the main defence mechanism. Many tarantula species eject hairs from their abdomens, directing them toward attackers. These hairs can embed themselves in the other animal's skin or eyes causing pain and discomfort.

 

Urticating hair on a tarantula's abdomen

Diet

·         Smaller tarantulas eat fellow bugs, such as cicadas, crickets, grasshoppers, caterpillars and beetles.

·         Larger tarantulas eat lizards, snakes, bats, toads, frogs and rodents such as rats and mice.

Burrows and eggs

Tarantulas live in burrows in the ground.

The Female spider produces a sack containing hundreds of eggs in the burrow.

Young Tarantula Spiders are raised inside the burrow.

 

 Tarantula burrow