Respiratory organs of a butterfly. Respiratory system
There are 220 species of spiders belonging to the genus Tarantula. More often than others in different parts of the world you can find the Apulian tarantula (Lycosa tarantula). The southern Russian tarantula (Lycosa singoriensis), also called Mizgir, lives on the territory of the former Soviet republics. His trademark is a dark spot similar to a skullcap.
Description of the tarantula
The tarantula is part of the wolf spider family, although they are constantly trying to mate it with tarantula spiders(lat. theraphosidae). Tarantulas differ from the latter in the direction of movement of the jaws.
Chelicerae (due to poisonous ducts on their jagged tops) perform two functions - an oral appendage and an attack/defense weapon.
The most attractive thing about the tarantula’s appearance is its 3 rows of shiny eyes: the first (bottom) row consists of four tiny “beads”, 2 larger eyes are “mounted” on top of them, and, finally, another pair is placed on the sides.
Eight spider “eyepieces” vigilantly monitor what is happening, distinguishing light and shadow, as well as the silhouettes of familiar insects at an interval of up to 30 cm. The spider boasts excellent hearing - it can hear human steps from 15 km away.
The tarantula grows, depending on the variety, up to 2.5 – 10 cm (with a limb span of 30 centimeters).
This is interesting! The tarantula can regenerate lost limbs. When shedding, he begins to grow a new paw (to replace the one that was torn off). It grows larger with each molt until it reaches its natural size.
Females are larger than their partners, often gaining a record weight of 90 grams.
The color of the spider may vary and depends on the area. Thus, the South Russian tarantula usually displays a brown, slightly reddish or sandy-gray color with black spots.
Range, habitats
The South Russian tarantula is the most impressive spider that lives across the vast territory of the former Soviet Union. Lycosa singoriensis lives in the Caucasus, Central Asia, Ukraine and Belarus (where it was spotted in the floodplains of the Sozh, Dnieper and Pripyat rivers in 2008).
In our country, it is distributed almost everywhere: residents of the Tambov, Oryol, Nizhny Novgorod, Saratov, Belgorod, Kursk and Lipetsk regions find it in their garden beds.
The spider is found in large quantities in the Astrakhan and Volgograd regions (especially near the Volga), as well as in the Stavropol Territory. The tarantula has long been “registered” in Crimea, after which it managed to crawl to Bashkiria, Siberia and even to the Trans-Baikal Territory.
The South Russian tarantula loves arid climates, often settling in steppe, semi-desert and desert zones (with access to natural bodies of water). Villagers encounter the spider in fields, garden plots, orchards (during potato harvest) and on hillsides.
Spider Lifestyle
The South Russian tarantula is a hunter sitting in ambush, which becomes a hole dug 50-60 cm deep. The spider learns about what is happening above by the vibrations of the web: with it it prudently weaves around the walls of its shelter.
The signal to jump is also the shadow of an insect blocking the light. The tarantula is not a supporter of walks and takes them out of necessity, leaving the hole in search of prey after dark. When hunting at night, he is extremely careful and does not go far from his burrow.
It approaches the victim slowly, with stops. Then suddenly he jumps and bites. In anticipation of the killing effect of the toxin, it can relentlessly follow the insect, biting it and jumping away until the sufferer breathes his last breath.
The objects of attack of our tarantula are:
- caterpillars;
- crickets and beetles;
- cockroaches;
- mole crickets;
- ground beetles;
- spiders of other species;
- flies and other insects;
- small frogs.
Male tarantulas fight with each other, regardless of the seasons, and rest from civil strife only during hibernation.
Reproduction of tarantulas
South Russian tarantulas mate at the end of summer, after which the partners usually die, and the partners prepare for the winter. With the first cold weather, the spider walls up the entrance with earth and crawls to the bottom, away from the frost.
In spring, the female comes to the surface to warm herself under the sun's rays and returns to the burrow to lay eggs. She carries the cocoon in which the eggs are woven with her, showing tireless care for its safety.
Getting out of the cocoon, the spiderlings cling to the mother (her abdomen and cephalothorax), who continues to protect the offspring for some time, keeping them with her.
Gaining independence, the spiders leave their mother. Often she speeds up their exit into the big life, for which she circles around the hole, throwing the babies off her body with her hind legs.
This is how tarantulas continue their lineage. Young spiders find a new place to live and begin to dig holes, the depth of which will increase as the tarantula grows.
Tarantula bite
The tarantula is quite gentle and does not attack a person without a good reason, including deliberate provocation or accidental contact.
A disturbed spider will announce the start of an attack with a threatening pose: it will stand up on its hind legs, raising its front legs up. When you see this picture, be prepared for an attack and a bite similar to a bee or hornet sting.
The toxin of the South Russian tarantula is not fatal, but a shallow bite is accompanied by severe pain, swelling, and, less often, nausea and dizziness.
The bite site is burned with a cigarette or match so that the toxin decomposes. Taking antihistamines will not hurt.
This is interesting! The best antidote for a tarantula is its blood, so you can neutralize the poison by smearing the affected area with the blood of a killed spider.
Tarantulas, including South Russian ones, are often kept at home: they are funny and unassuming creatures. You just have to remember that these spiders have a good reaction and a painful bite, so when handling them you need attention and composure.
Based on observations, the South Russian tarantula, defending its lair, jumps up 10-15 centimeters. According to the general conditions of keeping, tarantulas differ little from the burrowing varieties of tarantulas.
An immutable rule that a newly-made tarantula owner must follow is that a single spider is housed in one terrarium. Otherwise, the residents will constantly find out which of them is stronger. Sooner or later, one of the fighters will be carried away from the battlefield lifeless.
It has been noted that in the natural environment the tarantula lives for two years, but in captivity it can live twice as long.
This is interesting! It is known that the longevity of a tarantula is determined by its diet and the number of moults. A well-fed spider molts more often, which shortens its lifespan. If you want your pet to live a long time, keep it from hand to mouth.
Arachnarius
Instead, a terrarium or an aquarium with a lid with holes for air would also be a suitable home for the tarantula.
Please note that the area of the container for an adult spider is much more important than its height. The diameter of a round aquarium should be equal to 3 paw spans; for a rectangular aquarium, both the length and width should be 2-3 times the paw span.
Priming
These spiders have strong jaws that not only excel at loosening compacted soil, but also chew aluminum and hard polymers.
The spider must be able to dig a hole, so the bottom of the arachnaria (terrarium) is covered with clay and sand to obtain a layer of 15-30 cm. The following can also act as a substrate:
- coconut fiber;
- peat and humus;
- chernozem with vermiculite;
- Earth.
All these components must be moistened (in moderation!). Before moving the tarantula, make sure that there are no traumatic objects in its future housing (if you decorated the terrarium for aesthetic purposes).
The Arachnarium is not left open: along the corner, entwined with cobwebs, your pet can easily get out of his castle.
Cleaning
It is arranged every month and a half, cleaning the hole from the waste of your spider or pruning the plants (if any).
Since the tarantula does not often leave the hole, you will have to lure it out with a ball of plasticine, soft chewing gum, resin or warm wax. If you don’t get a reaction to the ball, you’ll dig up the spider.
At home, the spider’s periods of activity are the same as in the wild: it is alert from early spring until the onset of cold weather. By winter, the spider deepens the burrow and “seals” the entrance.
The optimal temperature is in the range from +18 to +30° Celsius. Tarantulas are no strangers to natural temperature fluctuations: spiders can quickly adapt to them.
Spiders extract moisture from their victims, but the water must be somewhere nearby. You need to install a drinker in the terrarium and maintain the required level of humidity.
It is possible that the spider will try to use the drinking bowl, if it is spacious, as a personal pool.
The South Russian tarantula will be grateful for the snag installed in its home (where it will periodically crawl) and modest vegetation.
The illumination of the arachnaria is arranged at a distance from the spider's hole. It is necessary to change the water and irrigate the soil every morning before turning on the lamp.
Tarantulas do not need ultraviolet rays: take a regular incandescent lamp or a fluorescent lamp (15 W). The pet will bask under its light, imagining that it is sunbathing in the sun.
Spider Tarantula
The length of the female tarantula is up to 4 cm, the males are slightly smaller. They mate for 10 hours, after which the male must quickly run away from the female, because if this is not done, the spider will attack him and eat him. Spiders live in burrows up to 50 cm deep. Tarantulas sit in these burrows during the day and go out at night to hunt insects. Tarantulas, of course, are far from safe, but many things associated with them are greatly exaggerated. All these spiders are more or less poisonous, but for humans, bites are rarely fatal.
Tarantula habitat
Tarantulas' natural habitat is tropical and temperate climates. They can be found in South and Central America and Mexico, Africa, Asia, Europe, Australia and the southwestern United States. On the territory of Russia, in the steppe part in the south of the country, the South Russian tarantula lives.
Almost all tarantulas are predators and feed on a variety of insects no larger than themselves. Tarantulas are nocturnal animals, so they hide in burrows during the day and go out hunting at night.
Tarantulas live in burrows about 30 cm deep. They dig them mainly on mountain slopes. Sometimes they choose natural shelters, such as cracks and faults. There are tarantulas that prefer to live in trees. In winter, tarantulas deepen their hole, and the passage is buried with earth - this helps to shelter from frost.
Appearance of a tarantula
The tarantula, like all arachnids, is an invertebrate animal. The body consists of two main parts - the prosoma or cephalothorax and the abdomen or opisthosoma.
Externally, the tarantula looks very menacing. It is a rather large spider - on average about 5-10 cm (there are larger individuals); The width of the paw span is up to 30 cm. Moreover, the female is much larger than the male.
Tarantulas are predominantly black or brown in color. Only some species have a different, brighter color.
The tarantula's body is densely covered with hair. In addition to regular hairs, some species of tarantulas have stinging hairs that serve to protect against various enemies. Tarantulas also use these hairs to mark their territory and nest.
Reproduction
After reaching puberty, the male tarantula begins to look for a way to mate with the female. Before meeting, the spider needs a little preparation. It spins a web on a flat surface, after which it begins to vigorously rub its abdomen against it. This promotes the release of seminal fluid, which it absorbs with its pedipalps - small limbs located next to the front legs. After this, the male goes out in search of the female - this foray is very dangerous for the spider, as the young tarantula forgets about safety.
After finding a female, the courtship ritual begins. This ritual differs slightly in different species, but in general it is expressed in vibrating the abdomen and moving the front legs. The courtship ritual allows the female to determine the correct species of the male. If the female does not want to mate, she can eat the male, however, this does not happen very often. After mating, the male quickly moves away so as not to be eaten by the excited female.
Depending on the species, the female tarantula lays from 50 to 2000 eggs, after which she guards them for 6-7 weeks. Growing up, the spiderlings crawl in different directions. Tarantulas lead a solitary lifestyle, and when they meet, they attack spiders of their own species.
Care and maintenance of tarantulas at home
Tarantulas do not require too much attention to their person, which is why lovers of exotic animals love to keep them at home. More often, female tarantulas are kept at home, since they live much longer than males (30 years for a female, 12 years for a male). They eat little and can go without food for quite a long period. There is a known case when a female tarantula lived without food for 2.5 years, having access only to water.
The terrarium must have a drinking bowl. Tarantulas are not too picky about food - they eat insects and small animals that are no larger than themselves.
Tarantulas need to be kept in separate terrariums. As was said earlier, when they meet, they can kill each other. Depending on the species, the terrarium should be equipped differently. One species may need more snags and branches, while another may need a larger layer of substrate. The same applies to humidity and temperature. The main thing to remember is that each spider needs to create conditions as close as possible to the natural habitat of this species.
Tarantula bites and poisonousness
All tarantulas are poisonous, but this does not mean that they are dangerous to humans. The bite force is enough to paralyze small animals, but for people, the bite of most tarantulas is tantamount to a bee sting. Tarantula venom causes pain, numbness, and increased body temperature, but is fatal only in the case of a severe allergic reaction. In this case, you should immediately consult a doctor.
The tarantula never attacks animals larger than itself, which means that it will not attack a person unless provoked. In case of a bite, if possible, you should crush the tarantula and smear the wound with its blood. The fact is that his blood contains an antidote to his own poison.
In addition to bites, the burning hairs of the tarantula, which it bristles in case of alarm, are dangerous to health and rise into the air. For humans, this can lead to irritation of the skin, eyes and nose. Damages to the upper respiratory tract and lungs are dangerous. This is a common reason why lovers of exotic animals refuse to keep tarantulas at home.
origin of name
During the Middle Ages, tarantulas were considered carriers of serious illnesses, or even madness. The name - tarantula, comes from the Italian city of Taranto. In this city, people believed that after being bitten by a spider, a person becomes ill with Tarantism - a strange disease expressed by complete indifference to everything and always ending in death. This disease was treated with a crazy dance - the tarantella. People believed that the disease would go away if the patient danced so hard that he could not stand on his feet.
Domain: Eukaryotes
Kingdom: Animals
Type: Arthropods
Class: Arachnids
Squad: Spiders
Family: Spiders — wolves
Genus: Tarantulas
Range, habitats
The South Russian tarantula is the most impressive spider that lives across the vast territory of the former Soviet Union. Lycosa singoriensis lives in the Caucasus, Central Asia, Ukraine and Belarus (where it was spotted in the floodplains of the Sozh, Dnieper and Pripyat rivers in 2008).
In our country, it is distributed almost everywhere: residents of the Tambov, Oryol, Nizhny Novgorod, Saratov, Belgorod, Kursk and Lipetsk regions find it in their garden beds.
The spider is found in large quantities in the Astrakhan and Volgograd regions (especially near the Volga), as well as in the Stavropol Territory. The tarantula has long been “registered” in Crimea, after which it managed to crawl to Bashkiria, Siberia and even to the Trans-Baikal Territory.
The South Russian tarantula loves arid climates, often settling in steppe, semi-desert and desert zones (with access to natural bodies of water). Villagers encounter the spider in fields, garden plots, orchards (during potato harvest) and on hillsides.
Tarantula: description, structure, characteristics
The tarantula belongs to the phylum Arthropods, the class Arachnids, the order Spiders, the family Wolf Spiders and the genus Tarantulas proper. Like many arthropods, the body of the tarantula is covered with small hairs. In general, the tarantula’s body structure has two main parts: the cephalothorax and abdomen.
At the top of the tarantula's head there are as many as eight eyes, with 4 of them located in a straight line, and the remaining larger eyes located in a trapezoid. Thanks to this arrangement of the eyes, tarantulas have a viewing angle of 360 degrees. Also, in addition to well-developed vision, these spiders also have an excellent sense of smell, with which they can sense potential prey at a considerable distance (for these insects).
The size of the tarantula varies from 2.5 to 10 cm. The span of the legs of this spider can reach 30 cm. Like many insects in the world, female tarantulas are usually several times larger than males.
Throughout their lives, tarantulas change the peculiar chitinous “armor” that covers their body several times. The tarantula also has four pairs of long, hairy legs, allowing the spider to move comfortably across loose or even water surfaces. The mandibles of the tarantula are covered with poisonous channels, they are very strong and serve the spider as a means of defense and attack.
The color of the tarantula is usually brown, gray or black. Although sometimes there are representatives of these spiders that have lighter colors.
What is the difference between a tarantula and a tarantula?
Tarantulas are often confused with the tarantula spider, so to put an end to this, here are the differences between them:
- Tarantulas differ from tarantulas in the structure of their chelicerae. In tarantulas they move in a parallel direction, in tarantulas in a medal direction towards each other.
- Also, these spiders belong to different families, tarantulas belong to the family of wolf spiders, tarantulas belong to the family of tarantulas.
Types of tarantulas
The genus Tarantula includes more than 200 species of spiders. Among them, the most famous are the following types.
Apulian tarantula (true tarantula)
He has a size of 7 cm. Females of this species are characterized by a combined coloration, consisting of a dark cephalothorax outlined by a light thin stripe and a red abdomen decorated with several transverse stripes framed by a red and white border. The male tarantula has a more modest, monochromatic appearance. Apulian tarantulas live mainly on mountain slopes in vertical burrows up to 0.6 m deep, which can be detected by a characteristic roll of dried leaves framing the entrance.
Unlike many of their fellow spiders, true tarantulas do not spin webs. During the day they prefer to hide in a hole, and at twilight and night hours they leave their shelter to hunt insects. On the eve of winter cold, poisonous spiders seal the entrance to their home using dry grass intertwined with cobwebs and hibernate.
The life expectancy of a tarantula in natural conditions after the onset of puberty does not exceed 2-3 years for males and 4-5 years for females. Apulian tarantulas live in countries such as Italy and Algeria, Spain and Libya, Portugal and Morocco, Egypt and Sudan.
South Russian tarantula or Mizgir
It is an inhabitant of fields, gardens and orchards, slopes of ravines and river banks. The habitat of the tarantula is the steppe, semi-desert and desert zones of Russia, Belarus, Ukraine and the countries of Central Asia. The size of the Mizgir tarantula rarely exceeds 35 mm in females and 25 mm in males. The color of the spider depends on the color of the soil in the area where it lives, so there are light brown, black-brown or reddish specimens with spots of various shapes and sizes.
A characteristic feature of this type of spider is the presence of a dark “cap” on its head. The depth of the burrows in which poisonous tarantulas live often reaches 0.5 m. The entrance to the burrow is protected by a low wall consisting of excavated soil and reinforced with grass and plant remains. During the rain or molting process, the entrance to the shelter is sealed with earth and cobwebs.
Like all members of the wolf spider family, Mizgiri do not weave webs to catch prey, but hunt insects while sitting in or near a burrow. In anticipation of the onset of cold weather, South Russian tarantulas descend to the very bottom of the hole, having previously sealed the entrance to it with a thick earthen plug. South Russian tarantulas live no more than 3-5 years. The life expectancy of females is longer than that of males.
Tarantula Lycosa narbonensis
Reaches a size of 5-6 cm. The body of the poisonous spider is brown-black, the legs are long, covered with hairs. Tarantulas are found in Italy, France, Macedonia, Malta, Spain, the countries of the former Yugoslavia and northern Africa.
Spanish tarantula
Lives in southern Europe and northern African countries. Tarantulas eat small invertebrates and also practice cannibalism. Previously, the spider was considered a subspecies of the Apulian tarantula, but since 2013 it has been considered as a separate species.
Brazilian tarantula
It lives in the countries of South America: Brazil, Uruguay, Paraguay, in the northern, northeastern and central parts of Argentina. Like other members of the genus, the Brazilian tarantula has 8 eyes arranged in 3 rows. In the bottom row there are 4 small eyes, a little higher there are 2 large eyes, and 2 more are on the sides of the head. The size of the tarantula is approximately 3 cm excluding the legs. The color of the spider is dark brown. There is a light longitudinal stripe on the head, which acquires a yellowish tint in the upper part of the back. In the center of the upper part of the abdomen, the stripe takes the shape of an arrow that points forward. The lower part of the abdomen of a poisonous spider is black. Chelicerae are reddish-brown in color. Tarantulas feed on crickets, cockroaches and other spiders.
Tarantula Lycosa poliostoma
Lives in South American countries: Brazil, Uruguay, Argentina, Paraguay. It lives in gardens, steppes, meadows, during the day it hides among the grass or in trees, in stones or holes, and is nocturnal. Like other species, these tarantulas eat crickets, cockroaches, small insects and other spiders. The length of the spider, excluding the legs, is 3 cm. The color of the tarantula is gray-brown or dark brown. There is a light longitudinal stripe on the head. In the upper part of the abdomen, the strip takes the shape of an arrow that points forward. The lower part of the tarantula's abdomen is black. The color of the chelicerae is light, which distinguishes this type of spider from the Brazilian tarantula. Females are larger than males, but females have shorter legs.
Tarantula Lycosa leuckarti
This is a gray-brown spider. The length of males reaches 0.9 cm, females - 1.2 cm (excluding paws). This species of tarantula lives in Australia.
Tarantula Lycosa coelestis
Lives in Japan and Taiwan. The length of females reaches 13-18 mm. The male tarantula measures 11-13 mm. The body color is brown, there are 2 longitudinal dark stripes on the back. The inner side of the tarantula's abdomen is black, for which the spider received the name "black-bellied tarantula."
Lifestyle
The tarantula digs burrows mainly on mountain slopes. Burrows are up to 50-60 centimeters deep. The entrance to them is bordered by a small ridge consisting of dry leaves. During the day, the tarantula usually sits in a hole, and at night it goes for prey, which consists of various insects. In winter, the tarantula clogs its home with dry plants intertwined with cobwebs. Young spiders (up to 300 pieces) emerge from the facial cocoon and stay on the mother’s body for some time.
In Russia, the most common type of tarantula is Mizgir (Latin name Lycosa singoriensis). Its color is very variable and can be black-brown, light brown, or reddish with various spots. It has been noticed that the color is largely adapted to the surrounding environment, mainly the color of the soil.
What do tarantulas eat?
The food of tarantulas is quite varied and consists of small insects and amphibians. Tarantulas eat caterpillars, mole crickets, cockroaches, and hunt beetles and small frogs.
These predators wait for their prey, hiding in a hole, or choose another shelter for this. Having attacked the victim, tarantulas paralyze it with their poison, which dissolves all the insides of the prey, turning them into a nutritious liquid. After waiting the time, the spiders simply suck out the resulting “energy cocktail.”
It is noted that the size of tarantula prey does not exceed the size of the hunter himself, and the process of absorbing it can last several days. Despite their gluttony, poisonous spiders are able to go without food for a long time, as long as they have access to water. There was a recorded case where a female Apulian tarantula was able to live without food for more than 2 years.
Reproduction and lifespan of a tarantula
In the warm season, adults are busy searching for a mate. In males, the instinct of self-preservation is dulled, so they can be seen even during the day. When it finds a female, it taps its legs on the ground, vibrates its abdomen and quickly moves its limbs, announcing its presence.
If she accepts advances, she repeats his movements. Everything else happens at lightning speed. After transferring the sperm, the male runs away so as not to be eaten by the female, since during this period she needs protein. Then the female falls asleep in her burrow until spring.
In the spring, she will come to the surface to expose her abdomen to the sun's rays, then lay eggs (300-400 pieces) in a woven web. Then he puts it into a cocoon and carries it on himself. As soon as the babies show signs of life, the mother will gnaw through the cocoon and help the spiderlings come out. The babies will be placed on their mother's body in multiple layers until they become independent. Then the mother will resettle the young people, gradually throwing them off of her.
Growing a tarantula at home
If you have decided that you want to have such an unusual companion at home, then you can be completely calm - caring for him requires a minimum of effort. For this reason, if you are a busy person, but want to get a little friend, you have made the right choice. Having provided him with the necessary living conditions at the very beginning of your friendship, you can assume that the most difficult thing is already behind you.
Typically, small terrariums serve as a home for arthropods indoors. A prerequisite for your comfortable living together will be the presence of a lid for the terrarium. After all, we must not forget for a second that this is still a spider. And he tends to weave a web, which can serve as a ladder from his house to yours, and also that this is a poisonous creature and its bite, although not fatal, is, nevertheless, not very pleasant.
It is also recommended to arrange his home so that he can sometimes retire. Natural materials, such as tree crowns or various branches, are best suited for constructing shelters. And you won’t have to spend money, and your student will feel almost like in their native lands.
The flooring should be prepared from moss, sand, earth and clay. We must remember that this spider is a hard worker and loves to build houses for himself, so the flooring layer should allow the terrarium inhabitant to dig at least a small hole for himself.
A necessary attribute in his house will be a container that will always be filled with clean drinking water and a small pool. It is in the pool that he will swim. After all, the most common cause of death of tarantulas is dehydration. To prevent such an unpleasant situation, it is also necessary to carry out regular spraying of its territory. The temperature in his “apartment” should always be within 24–28 degrees, and the air humidity should be at least 50%.
- Menu for the big-eyed pet. The diet of a domestic tarantula is not much different from this process in the wild. Its food list should include a variety of living creatures that fit the size of your pet arachnite, such as cockroaches, crickets, small worms and grasshoppers. The regularity of eating varies depending on the age category of your arthropod. If this is a young individual, then it needs to be fed twice a week, but if we are talking about an adult spider, then the optimal frequency of meals is once every 8–10 days. It is necessary to immediately remove any leftovers from your companion’s “table”. It would be a very good idea to feed your tenant with various vitamin complexes from time to time, which will have a very positive effect on his health, and, accordingly, on the duration of his life period.
- The right neighborhood. It is not recommended to place several individuals in one terrarium; this can not only provoke their aggression towards each other, but in a fit of anger they will simply eat each other.
- Dealing with a toxic friend."Everything has its time!" - this saying, by the way, is perfect for tarantulas. After some time, he will get used to you and will not perceive you as an object that poses a threat to him. You should pick up this unique pet carefully and carefully, avoiding sudden movements.
Danger
All types of tarantulas are poisonous. The poison lies in the glands located in the cephalothorax and opening at the top of the tentacles-mandibles, with which the spider pierces the skin of its prey in order to then suck it out. Tarantulas do not attack humans on their own, but if they are teased, especially females wearing an egg cocoon or having young spiders on them, jump up and can bite a person.
For humans, a tarantula bite is never fatal, but causes swelling and pain in the bitten area. In addition, sometimes the skin turns yellow and remains that way for quite a long time (up to 2 months). There is no reliable information about the fatal outcome for humans from a tarantula bite.
Buy a tarantula
This can be done through free classifieds sites, social networks or specialized forums where lovers of large spiders gather.
An individual of the South Russian tarantula is offered to be purchased for 1 thousand. rubles and send it to you in another city with opportunity. Before purchasing, do not forget to find out how responsible the seller of arthropods is, and only then transfer money. Watching a tarantula is undoubtedly very interesting, but do not relax - it is, after all, poisonous and bites without much thought.
- There is no exact information about the etymology of the name of this genus of spiders. However, most researchers believe that its origins go back to the Renaissance. Then, many convulsive seizures that occur in humans were associated with spider bites, which lived in large numbers in the vicinity of Italian cities, including in the city of Taranto in southern Italy, where the largest number of bites was noted. It was thanks to this city that the spiders got their name. It is noteworthy that to cure a disease, medieval doctors prescribed dancing a special dance to exhaustion - the tarantella.
- The tarantula is literally tied to its hole. When a spider crawls out of its home, a web trails behind it. And if the web suddenly breaks, the tarantula often loses coordination and is unable to find its hole. In this case, the spider digs a new home for itself.
- The tarantula's blood contains an antidote to its poison. Therefore, when bitten, if possible, it is necessary to knead the spider and lubricate the bite site with its blood.
- Tarantula can regenerate its legs. If a tarantula loses a leg, then after the next molt, a new one, only smaller in size, grows in place of the lost leg.
- The body length of the largest tarantulas is about six centimeters, excluding the paw span.
- Tarantulas can make webs, but they do not make webs for hunting. They use cobwebs to cover egg clutches and insulate their burrows for the winter.
- The chitinous outer skeleton of tarantulas is very fragile, so any fall can cause fatal injury.
- The ends of the tarantula's paws have retractable claws, like a cat's, that help them hold on as they climb wherever they please.
- All tarantulas are poisonous, but their poison is not capable of killing humans.
- Female tarantulas live up to thirty years, but males live three to five times less.
- With a relatively modest body size, the paw span of a tarantula can reach 20-25 centimeters. No wonder people are afraid of them.
- In terms of toxicity and consequences, a tarantula bite for humans is comparable to a bee sting.
- The tarantula will bite a person only when cornered, otherwise it will prefer to run away.
- In case of a serious threat, tarantulas with their hind legs tear out the prickly, burning hairs from the abdomen and forcefully throw them at the enemy.
- Tarantulas are nocturnal. They hunt by sneaking up on prey and suddenly attacking it.
- Tarantulas are easily wounded creatures. They have very thin skin on their abdomen. Falling is deadly for him. Therefore, there is no need to pick up the spider. They produce silk for their web. Females need silk in the “interior” of the burrow to strengthen the walls; males need silk as a packaging material for storing eggs; traps near the burrow are also made from silk.
Tarantulas are widespread. In our zone they can be found in the upper reaches of the Dnieper, Pripyat, Yenisei, and in the Volga delta. They live in the desert zone of Central Asia and Kazakhstan, smaller representatives - in the southern zone of Europe. The eastern border of their habitat runs through Mongolia and China, then Greece, Asia Minor, Egypt, and North Africa. They are also found in Romania, Hungary, and Austria.
Female tarantula with young on her back. When an adult spider hibernates in her burrow, the small tarantulas follow her and starve with her
Tarantulas are large spiders, reaching a length of 60 - 70 mm, but there are also smaller species. The body of the tarantula is dark in color. They do not weave trapping nets, but prefer to hunt on the ground, choosing a convenient ambush from which to stalk their prey. Having waited for the right moment, they overtake the prey in several jumps, hence the name of the family - wolf spiders. Many of these spiders lead a nomadic lifestyle, and some, living in deserts and steppes, prefer to lead a sedentary lifestyle. They select burrows that are convenient for them and settle firmly in them. Despite all its external ugliness, the Djungarian tarantula, when viewed from the front, is quite unusual and even cute, reminiscent of a shaggy, bearded gnome. When he is calm and the front legs are lowered, a large streamlined head part of the body is visible, reminiscent of a fairy-tale gnome overgrown with hair: below is a transverse stripe of short thick hairs, similar to a short brush of a mustache, under it, in two strands, longer, thick hair, very similar to a beard, and above - eyes: two large ones and four smaller ones under them. Just a cartoon creature! But if you disturb it, the picture changes as if by magic: the front legs rise high above the head, the spider takes a threatening pose, in which it no longer looks like a cute creature.
Like karakurt, the tarantula's venomous apparatus consists of two glands located on the sides of the anterior part of the cephalothorax, the ducts of which end at the sharp ends of well-shaped, strong jaws. The tarantula has excellent vision. At the cephalothoracic end there are eight eyes, four of them are shiny and very clearly visible, and the other four are duller. The spider has eight legs covered with long black hairs. Large, widely spaced in all directions, they give the already unpleasant animal a repulsive, disgusting appearance.
Some facts about the tarantula:
- The tarantula raises its abdomen before releasing a web, with the help of which it can “fly” to a new place.
- The female wandering spider carries with her a cocoon containing hundreds of eggs.
- The body and jointed legs of the tarantula are abundantly covered with long hairs.
- The tarantula has strong limbs with which it digs holes for itself.
- As the spider grows, the old shell becomes too small for it and it sheds it (molts).
How to Avoid a Spider Bite
To avoid a spider bite, you must, first of all, not touch it, since spiders attack only in defense. An accident can occur if the spider is stepped on with a bare foot or accidentally disturbed. And if you try to grab it, then, as a rule, seeing a hand extended to it, the spider hurries to hide. We must remember that the activity of the tarantula, like any other spider, increases in hot weather and therefore they are most active in tropical climates. In temperate climates, most cases of tarantula bites occur between May and August.
For any kind of bite, tarantula poison the wound should be sucked out, quickly spitting out the liquid. The victim needs peace - physical and moral. For convulsive muscle tension, thermal procedures, such as heating pads, are used. It is necessary to drink as much hot liquid as possible and, if possible, transport the victim to the hospital as quickly as possible. This is a general rule for all cases of lesions.