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GEOGRAPHIC RANGE AND HABITAT
Tarantulas inhabit tropical to temperate
regions in Africa, Asia, the middle east, south and central America,
Mexico, and the southwestern United States.
They are seen in a variety of habitats, including
desert scrublands, but most species live in rainforests. |
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DESCRIPTION
Tarantulas have hairy body and legs and
come in wide color variation, from a soft tan, through reddish
brown to dark brown or black. The cephalothorax and abdomen,
the front and rear parts of the body, are round. Their 8 eyes
are closely grouped, with a pair in the middle and 3 on each
side of the face. They have large fangs 2 pairs of slits on
the underside of the abdomen that lead to the respiratory
organs called book lungs. Book lungs have many folds lying
close together like the pages of a book through which blood
passes to acquire oxygen from the outside air. |
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VITAL STATISTICS:
Weight: 1-3 oz.; Length: 1-5"; Leg
Span: 3-10"; Sexual Maturity: 3-9 yrs;. Mating Season: Fall;
Incubation: 6-9 weeks; Number of Young: 500-1000; Lifespan:
25-40 years.
Tarantulas, like all spiders, have
a very good sense of touch, but are not able to see much more
than light, dark, and basic shapes. Spiders learn more about
the world around them by feeling vibrations, than they learn
fromusing their eyes. They can tell what is happening
around them by feeling the differences between different vibrations.
Eg: wind & trapped insects can both make the spider's
web move, but the spider can tell the difference between the
jerky, uneven vibrations caused by the insect & the gentle
, smooth vibrations caused by the wind. |
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DIET
The Tarantula is a nocturnal hunter. It does
not spin a web to capture its prey, but catches food by its speed.
It will take virtually anything of the right size that moves within
range, but feeds primarily on small insects like grasshoppers, beetles,
sow bugs, other small spiders and sometimes small lizards or small
birds.
The Tarantula strikes with its fangs, injecting
venom and grasping the prey with its palps, arm like appendages
between the mouth and legs. Then the Tarantula grinds its victim
into a ball, secretes digestive juices onto it, and sucks up the
liquefied prey. It may also wrap the ball in silk for a later meal. |
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LIFE CYCLE/SOCIAL
BEHAVIOR
Tarantulas spend most of their time hidden in
burrows or other retreats, becoming active in the late afternoon
from spring through fall Some dig their own burrows, others use
ready-made crevices or abandoned rodent holes. Some make their homes
under rocks or logs or under the bark of trees. There is only one
spider per burrow. While North American Tarantulas are exclusively
ground-dwellers living in burrows Tarantulas in other parts of the
world build silken retreats on trees, cliff faces, the walls of
buildings or in crop plants such as bananas and pineapples.. |
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REPRODUCTION
Stats
Sexual Maturity: 3-9 years
Mating Season: Fall
Incubation: 6-9 weeks
Number of Young: 500-1000
Birth Interval: 1 year
Tarantulas do not reach sexual maturity
for several years. During this time they undergo a series
of molts, and until they reach maturity you can't tell the
male from the female. Upon maturity the males abandon their
burrows and go forth to seek a mate. |
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INTERESTING FACTS
1.The Tarantula family includes the largest spiders
known.
2. The Tarantula spins no web but catches its
prey by pursuit.
3. There are more than 800 species of Tarantulas.
4. Tarantulas can make themselves half of their
normal size to squeeze through small gaps!
5. The Pepsis wasp is a large wasplike insect
of the desert and semi-arid regions/ It is well-known for its predation
of the Tarantula.
6. Tarantulas come in all colors. Some of
the more colorful are pictured below. |
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