Tarantula
Tarantulas are a group of "hairy" and often very large spiders belonging to the family Theraphosidae. Approximately 900 species have been found. Some tarantulas hunt prey in trees and some hunt on the ground. All tarantulas can make silk. They use silk to make shelters like tube tents in trees, to line burrows if they live on the ground, and they all use silk to wrap up prey before they eat it. It is easy to see a tarantula turning around and around in one spot with the prey in its mouth, but it is hard to see the silk coming out because it is small in diameter (thickness) and transparent. These spiders are found in warmer regions around the world. Tarantulas' predators are normally big snakes or creatures such as the Tarantula Eating Wasp. Defenses are camouflage and fangs.
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| Brachypelma smithi | |
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| Family: | Theraphosidae Thorell, 1870
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Acanthopelminae | |
| Diversity | |
| 113 genera, 897 species | |
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Tarantula Media
Opening to a tarantula burrow
Tarantula at the mouth of its burrow
A tarantula next to a U.S. size 11 shoe, to show scale, taken near Austin, Texas
Aphonopelma mojave. Tarantula native to the Mojave Desert searches for a burrow.
Claws at the end of the leg of Lasiodora parahybana
A Brazilian tarantula in defensively threatening position
These two balls (each consisting of app. 4 crickets) are a couple of leftovers after two feedings of an adult tarantula. Tarantulas who only consume food turned into liquid by their digestive juices leave these balls of crushed hard pieces of their preys' body or hard parts thereof after the feeding. In a terrarium, they often put them into the same corner.*The ruler shows centimetres.
Eye ports seen in an exuvia (molted skin)
Close-up of a tarantula's eyes
References
- S. B. Reichling & R. C. West (1996). "A new genus and species of theraphosid spider from Belize (Araneae, Theraphosidae)" (PDF). Journal of Arachnology. 24: 254–261.
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- R. R. Raven (2005). "A new tarantula species from northern Australia (Araneae, Theraphosidae)" (PDF). Zootaxa. 1004: 15–28. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.1004.1.2.
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Other websites
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Wikispecies has information on: Theraphosidae. |
- International Societies
- American Tarantula Society Headquarters
- The British Tarantula Society
- German Arachnologic Society
- The Australian Tarantula Association Archived 2006-12-05 at the Wayback Machine
- American Societies
- SFBATS - San Francisco Bay Area Tarantula Society Archived 2008-04-09 at the Wayback Machine
- N-TEC · Nebraska Tarantula Enthusiasts Club Archived 2007-01-26 at the Wayback Machine
- MTTG · Middle Tennessee Tarantula Group[dead link]
- Other sites
- Tarantulas.us - Forums Archived 2008-05-13 at the Wayback Machine - Tarantula Discussion Boards and Caresheets.
- Arachnoboards - Arachnid discussion board
- Tarantula care - Gallery of tarantulas and other arachnids.
- Tarantulas.us - Gallery Archived 2007-01-10 at the Wayback Machine - Photo gallery of tarantula's species.
- How to Pick a tarantula and Care for a tarantula
- Birdspiders.com - Rick C. West's Site. Includes a gallery of tarantula pictures by species in alphabetical order.
- Caresheets of several tarantula species Archived 2008-04-08 at the Wayback Machine
- Information on tarantulas, scorpions, and other invertebrates
- Stanley A. Schultz and Marguerite J. Schultz, "Common and scientific name correlations of the theraphosid tarantulas", University of Calgary Archived 2006-07-19 at the Wayback Machine
- Tarantulas Photo Gallery Tarantula photos (Mexican Red Knee, Green Bottle Blue, Salmon Pink etc.)