A fear of spiders is a common phobia which many people has but the spider which most people seem to be scared of is the Tarantula.  The hairy legs and big body sends shivers down many people’s spine but how much do they really know about this creature?  If they knew the truth would they still be as scared?  Here are a few interesting facts which could change many people’s mind and educate them towards not fearing but loving this spider.

The tarantula is the biggest if the spiders and come in a range of different sizes and colours.  With over 700 species of tarantula they start at the size of a finger nail and can be as big as a dinner plate.  There family name is the Hairy Mygalomorphs which have been around for millions of years and haven’t changed much.  In the wild they live on average for 30 years where as other species of spiders can live for as little as a year.  They normally live in burrow in the ground or trees; they use their fangs to dig a safe place to nest and instead of spinning webs like other species of spiders they help to protect their home by spinning their silk to use as doors.  The tarantula is found in America, mostly in the South, Central and the southern part of North America.  It is also commonly found in Africa where they live mainly in the rainforest or jungles.

The tarantula hunts at night time as this is the best time to find they prey they are looking for.  They hunt mainly insects and beetles apart from the Goliath Bird-eating tarantula which as they names suggest eat small birds along with little reptiles and frogs.  The tarantula will stalk its prey before pouncing on it then biting.  Once it has bitten the prey it will inject venom into its body which turns the inside into a liquid.  This makes it easier for the tarantula to digest its food.  

The tarantula is hunted by hawks, owls, skunks and snakes.  It biggest predator however is something many wouldn’t think of.  This is the spider wasp.  The reason the spider wasp is so bad for tarantulas is because it doesn’t kill it straight away.  It uses the spider as a nest for its eggs.  It will paralyze the spider by stinging it then will bury the spider with an egg in the ground.  The spiders can be buried for several days before the larvae hatches and when it does it will eat away at the paralyzed spider alive.

The tarantula does have some defense mechanism to help protect it from its prey.  Many people don’t realize that they actually have re-tractable claws like a cat would have.  They also have tiny hairs on their belly (abdomen) and on the back of the legs.  These can stick to a predator if they go near them or disturb them.  This will make the predator itch and put it off its guard giving the tarantula time to get away.  Finally the most famous assets of this spider, its fang.  Despite what many people believe the bite of a tarantula is not actually deadly for a human.  Unless you are allergic to the venom then the bite is no worse than being stung by a wasp.  The bite itself is painful but it is actually the shock which effect people the most.

You may be amazed by the fact that in some countries people don’t hunt tarantulas so they can use them as pets.  They actually hunt this spider so that they can eat it.  The tarantula is coincided a delicacy in some parts of the world and is even eaten covered in chocolate.