Tarantula  E-mail
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TarantulaTarantula is the common name for a group of "hairy" and often very large spiders belonging to the family Theraphosidae, of which approximately 900 species have been identified. Tarantulas hunt prey in both trees and on the ground. All tarantulas can emit silk, whether they be arboreal or terrestrial species. Arboreal species will typically reside in a silken "tube web", and terrestrial species will line their burrows or lairs with web to catch wandering prey. They mainly eat insects and other arthropods, using ambush as their primary method. The biggest tarantulas can kill animals as large as lizards, mice, or birds. Most tarantulas are harmless to humans, and some species are popular in the exotic pet trade while others are eaten as food. These spiders are found in tropical and desert regions around the world.
The name tarantula comes from the town of Taranto in Italy and was originally used for an unrelated species of European spider. In Africa, Theraphosids are frequently referred to as "baboon spiders". Asian forms are known as "earth tigers" or "bird spiders". Australians refer to their species as "barking spiders", "whistling spiders," or "bird spiders". People in other parts of the world also apply the general name "mygales" to Theraphosid spiders.
Despite their often scary appearance and reputation, none of the true tarantulas are known to have a bite which is deadly to humans. In general the effects of the bites of all kinds of tarantulas are not well known. While the bites of many species are known to be no worse than a wasp sting, accounts of bites by some species are reported to be very painful.
Before biting, tarantulas may signal their intention to attack by rearing up into a "threat posture", which may involve raising their prosoma and lifting their front legs into the air, spreading and extending their fangs, and (in certain species) making a loud hissing noise called Stridulating. Their next step, short of biting, may be to slap down on the intruder with their raised front legs.
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Comments (12)add comment

god said:

 
you should go to iraq a catch a camel spider. they are crazy.
July 26, 2008

Ash said:

 
get a female black widow and a male brown recluse spider and let the match begin both of em have mad poised there the worlds most deadliest
August 28, 2008

bug fighter said:

 
dude thats awesome smilies/angry.gif smilies/smiley.gif smilies/wink.gif smilies/cheesy.gif :- smilies/kiss.gif
September 26, 2008

pulutan said:

 
spiders are stupid boooooo
November 10, 2008

CUte AnD HanDSomE said:

 
tang ina mu!!!! bitch
November 25, 2008

stephanie said:

 
hi. i have to do research for my science project and i have to know the classification of a vampire bat and tarantulas. maybe can you help me. you can e-mail me at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
November 28, 2008

stephanie said:

 
spiders and tarantulas r awsome...any 1 wanna add me????? well u can...i dont care
November 28, 2008

GANGSTER said:

 
the goliath tarantula is the best,with centipede.
these gangsters are f...... strong
January 14, 2009

PACO G said:

 
tarantulas r fukin badass i seen them owned stag beetles and hornets all the time
February 17, 2009

MP said:

 
no wat u see is a tarantula own a rhino beetle not a stag beetle tarantula sucks man. if it wouldve went against a real stag beetle its woudve been turn off and woudve been on its back dead and hornets suk anyway.It woudve lost 2 a giant centapede believe me when i say it tarantula FUCKIN SUCKS!!!!!!! smilies/angry.gif
November 26, 2009

MP said:

 
the only spider i like is a camel spider fun 2 watch fight smilies/grin.gif
November 26, 2009

Me said:

 
THAT'S INCREDIBLE!! ALL OF YOU ARE STUPID PEOPLE IF YOU LIKE WEBS LIKE THIS! THAT PEOPLE ARE CRUEL! IT ISN'T NATURAL AND THOSE ANIMALS ARE SUFFERING! I CAN'T UNDERSTAND WHY PEOPLE LIKE YOU CAN DO SUPPORT TO THIS WEBS... THE ANIMALS ARE FREE, WHY HAVE WE TAKE THEIR FREEDOM AND MAKE THEM FIGHT?! WE AREN'T GODS SO STOP PLAYING WITH THE ANIMAL'S FREEDOM!!! smilies/angry.gif
February 01, 2010

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