Tarantula Spiders friend or foe? You may be surprised

  Tarantula spiders live for nearly 30 years, about the size of a cup saucer and covered with fur they

Very beautiful creatures, docile and shy until challenged. They
come in many colors, mostly shades of red and black.

present an ominous presence. Their bite is not deadly, however it stings painfully, and causes rashes. Belonging to a family of spiders, Hairy Mygalomorphs, they've been around for millions of years changing very little in all of that time. There are about 700 known species of Tarantula spiders. They are found nearly worldwide, North America (southern areas) Africa, South and Central America rain forest. Some live in tunnels or burrows underground, they will either steal one or are very capable of digging their own with their very substantial fangs. Tarantula's do not spin webs, they do however have the ability to produce silk of which they use to line their burrows and use as a door. Some live in trees as well, living in wood tunnels seized from another occupant or formed with their fangs. Grasshoppers, crickets, beetles and other small insects make up their quarry on their nocturnal hunting forays. There is a breed of tarantula's named "Goliath Bird eating Tarantula" and will devour lizards, snakes, frogs, bats and small birds. They are very capable of defending themselves, among the hairs on their underside reside sharp little projections, like

This is a Goliath Tarantula, it's a big spider, the largest in existence.

needles, sort of like a miniature porcupine. The Tarantula spider when threatened is capable of rubbing the hairs against these sharp spines and shoot them at their assailant, surprise and pain in an instant. They have a multitude of predators weasels, hawks, skunks, owls and snakes, keeping them ever alert. Their biggest fear and worst enemy is the "Spider-Wasp". It's an interesting way the spider wasp attacks and deals with the tarantula. The female wasp stings the spider, paralyzing it, she then digs a hole, after injecting an egg in the body she buries the spider. Leaving the nursery bed alone the egg hatches in just a few days, feeding on the dead tarantula. Human beings are feared by the tarantula, we catch them as pets, some people eat them and others indiscriminately kill them. Tarantula spiders "molt", shedding of their external during which they also replace their internal organs, stomach lining as well as regrowing of lost limbs. Reproduction is accomplished when the male constructs a small web and scatters his reproduction fluids over the surface, the female follows laying the 500 to 1,000 eggs directly on the web. The spiderlings will hatch in six to nine weeks.
  Tarantula spiders being the largest known arachnids, heavy hairy bodies in black and brown make them easily distinguishable from all other spiders. Some species have distinct stripes on their legs, having so much fur on legs and body make them appear larger than they actually are. They are impressive looking and frightening when seen they are only aggressive when they are challenged. Two body parts make up the tarantula, the prosoma (also known as the cephalothorax) and the abdomen (opisthosoma). Eight legs, pedipalpa as well as fangs connect to the prosoma. The fangs are known as the chelicerae release venom which are just below the spiders eyes. The legs are interesting also they have seven sections with retractable claws used for climbing of which the leg hairs assist.
 

A totally involved tarantula spiders hatch, up to 1,000 hatch.

In the United States the most popular tarantula is the "Eurypelma californicum" (where do these names come from?) found in California, Texas and Arizona. The other common spider in this country is the "Aphonopelma chalocides", or the desert tarantula, living in desert regions. Living primarily in Arizona is the blond desert tarantula, color is from gray to chocolate brown. Kansas has them as well, living in rocky areas or hillsides in burrows underground, Texas brown tarantula's (Aphonopelma hentzi) inhabit this same area as well, maybe as much as a third of the state (Kansas) in the south. They are not native to Florida, introduced as pets, the species "Brachypelma vagans" natives of Mexico, commonly known as "Mexican red rumps". These tarantula spiders are black with red abdomens, a painful bite but not poisonous. For more information on bite treatment click here.
  As mentioned previous, tarantula's do bite, some people have an allergy to them in which case the reaction may include: pain, respiratory problems, itchiness, increased heart rate and swelling where the bite occurred. It's much like the reaction some one has when stung by a honey bee and has an allergy to the sting. If bitten by a tarantula and the reaction is severe immediately seek medical care.
 Thanks for reading, there is comfort in knowing although scary, tarantula's bite will not cause death to humans. Leave a comment or suggestion I welcome them!

jacquesandkate  emergencykitsplus.com