Facts on Tarantulas

Spiders can strike fear in people, both young and old. Tarantulas, especially, can make a person nervous with their large, hairy bodies and fangs that transmit venom. Often misunderstood and considered dangerous, tarantulas are actually in demand as nontraditional household pets. Tarantulas belong to the class arachnida, the order araneae and the family Theraphosidae. While people may think that there is only one type of tarantula, the term "tarantula" encompasses more than 850 species.

  1. Historical Background

    • The name "tarantula" derives its name from the Italian town of Taranto. During the 15th century, southern Europeans applied the name tarantula to the wolf spider and believed that its bite caused a disease known as tarantism. People who were bit by this spider sought to cure themselves by performing a frenzied dance called the tarantella. Due to the fear that the wolf spider and tarantism inspired, people began labeling other types of large, scary-looking spiders tarantulas. North Americans, especially, liberally applied the label of tarantula to various spiders of the Theraphosidae family that were completely different from the southern European wolf spiders.

    Anatomy

    • Tarantulas have an exoskeleton that is an outer hard shell or thick hide that gives the spider its shape. The spider's exterior is covered with bristles or hairs and can be transparent, brown or another color. A tarantula's body is divided into two main sections: the front section, or cephalothorax, and the abdomen, or opisthosoma. The pedicel is the narrow waist that joins the two main sections together. The cephalothorax comprises the spider's head, mouth parts, fangs and eyes. Attached to this section are also four pairs of legs. Although they have eight eyes, tarantulas do not see well and rely on their senses of touch, taste and smell.

    Diet

    • Tarantulas are carnivores, or meat eaters, and tend to eat other insects. They will ambush prey that is living and moving. If necessary, spiders can survive for months without eating. Pet tarantulas or tarantulas in captivity require foods such as crickets, roaches, mealworms or locusts. Some of the largest tarantulas, such as the Goliath and the Brazilian salmon, require large foods such as mice to eat. In the wild, Goliath spiders will hunt snakes, lizards, frogs, toads and other tarantulas.

    Location

    • Tarantulas are found all over the world in different tropical and subtropical regions. They live in central and south America, parts of the Caribbean, Australia, the Indo-Pacific region, southern Asia, Madagascar and Africa, southern Europe and parts of the Middle East. They are also found in the United States from California to the Mississippi River. Common places tarantulas live are in hot, dry deserts and savannas as well as in rain forests. While in their natural habitats, the different tarantula species will either burrow in the ground or dwell in high trees.