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Habitat Tarantulas live in dry, well-drained soils in open areas throughout the desert and grassland areas. Range Tarantulas occur worldwide. Wild Status Some tarantula species are endangered because of habitat destruction and over-collection for the pet trade.
Diet Tarantulas are nocturnal hunters. Predators Predators of tarantulas include lizards, snakes, spider-eating birds, coyotes and foxes. Home The desert tarantula lives in a deep burrow which is lined with silk webbing to prevent its caving in. Life Span Male tarantulas live 10 to 12 years. Females can live twice as long. Size In the Sonoran Desert, tarantulas grow to a length of 3 to 4 inches mm.
Quick Facts The Tarantula Hawk, a large spider wasp, searches out tarantulas and attempts to sting them. Email Address. Whether one should pet them or not is another question.
They tend to bite things too big to eat only when riled. If they do bite, however, the sheer mechanics of their size means it is going to hurt. As its name suggests, it is plenty big enough for one to think it could catch and eat a bird, though in fact it mainly feeds on large insects and the occasional frog, lizard or mouse.
Though opinions about its suitability as a pet are mixed, it is relatively harmless and you could theoretically enjoy having one pad up your leg. However, you definitely want to avoid contact with its abdomen hairs, known as urticating bristles, which the tarantula uses for defence.
They work like poison darts, causing extreme irritation when injected under the skin. Bottom line: luxuriate in spider paws with reckless abandon from afar, stroke furry spider legs with appropriate caution, and definitely avoid the temptation to give a tarantula a belly rub.
Originally published by Cosmos as The science of spider paws. Cosmos is published by The Royal Institution of Australia, a charity dedicated to connecting people with the world of science.
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