Tarantula - description, types, photos, where it lives, what it eats

Tarantulas are poisonous animals, class arachnids, poisonous arthropods. Its appearance can hardly be called pleasant, but many people keep them as exotic pets. The name comes from Italy; during the Renaissance, a large number of spiders were found in the country. After being bitten, people could suffer from seizures.

The largest number of bites was recorded in Taranto, a city in Italy. This is where the name of this arthropod species comes from.

It is also noteworthy that medieval doctors, in order to recover from the consequences of a bite, recommended that the patient perform a special dance called the tarantella for a long time. The name of this dance is closely related to both the city where there were many of them, and the very name of the animal.

Below we will look at all the facts about tarantulas: what they eat, structure, methods of reproduction and other interesting information.

Where did the word "tarantula" come from?

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.

Lifespan

The lifespan of Lycosa varies greatly and depends on two factors:

frequency of molting: the more often a spider molts, the less it lives;
the possibility of falling into seasonal hibernation.

In nature, Lycosa singoriensis lives for approximately 2 years. In captivity, he does not have the opportunity to hibernate and stop developing for a while. Because of this, the life expectancy of the arthropod is reduced to 1 year. A too-fed life also shortens the life of a spider in an apartment. The more an arthropod eats, the faster it grows and is forced to molt. Shedding takes too much vitality. You can avoid very frequent changes of skin if you keep the animal from hand to mouth.

Tarantula - photo and description of the spider. What does a tarantula look like?

Like most arthropods, the body structure of the tarantula, covered with the finest small hairs, has two main parts: the cephalothorax and abdomen.

In the upper part of the tarantula's cephalothorax there are 8 eyes, four of which form a straight line, the rest, larger, are placed in the form of a trapezoid. Thanks to this structure of the visual organs, poisonous tarantula spiders have the ability to inspect their surroundings at 360°. In search of food or a female during the breeding season, these arthropods, in addition to excellent vision, use a well-developed sense of smell. The internal organs of the spider are located in its abdominal region.

Tarantula eyes

Tarantula eyes - side view

The size of the tarantula ranges from 2.5 to 10 cm, and the paw span can reach 30 centimeters.

It is noteworthy that female tarantulas are much larger than males, and the weight of a female can reach 90 grams.

Female tarantula (Lycosa singorensis species)

Male tarantula (Lycosa singorensis species)

Throughout their life, tarantula spiders change the chitinous “armor” covering their body several times.

Four pairs of long, powerful paws of the tarantula are covered with thin bristle hairs, increasing the area of support when moving along loose or water surfaces.

Tarantula feet

Powerful mandibles (chelicerae), thanks to the poisonous ducts that open on their jagged tips, are not only an oral appendage for spiders from this family, but also a means of attack and defense.

Usually the color of tarantulas is brown, gray or black, but light-colored individuals are also found. Sexual dimorphism is well developed. Males differ from females in being smaller in size and having more developed forelimbs.

Tarantulas are typical representatives of arachnids leading a solitary lifestyle. They meet with members of the opposite sex only during the breeding season. Male tarantulas quarrel with each other at any time of the year, with the exception of hibernation.

What is the difference between a tarantula and a tarantula?

Very often the name "tarantula" is applied to tarantula spiders, although this is a mistake.

Tarantulas differ from tarantula spiders (lat. Theraphosidae), with which they are often confused, in the structure of their chelicerae. In representatives of the tarantula family, these organs move in a parallel direction, in contrast to wolf spiders, in which the chelicerae move in a medial direction towards each other.

Additionally, tarantulas belong to the family wolf spiders, and tarantula spiders belong to a family called tarantula spiders.

Why does a spider have so many eyes?

Author: Veronika Semenova Recording date

The first thing to say when answering this question is that while some spiders have six eyes, most have eight.

The short answer to the question is that different animals' eyes evolved differently, depending on the life they led.

Jumping spiders like this one typically have eight eyes: two very large front eyes for clear color images and judging distance, and additional side eyes for detecting movement. Flickr/Thomas Shahan, CC BY-NC-ND

People have two eyes that look forward. Our eyes are very good at distinguishing colors and shapes. Having two large eyes at the front of the head means they can work together to judge how far away something is (we call this "judging distance"). This helps us catch another animal to eat.

Where do tarantulas live?

Poisonous tarantula spiders live in steppe, forest-steppe, desert and semi-desert climatic zones of Southern Europe, America, North Africa, Central and Asia Minor. Representatives of the genus are found in Russia, Austria, Italy, Mongolia, Egypt, Hungary, China, Portugal, Algeria, Belarus, Spain, Ukraine, Libya, Romania, Morocco, Greece, Sudan, Argentina, Uruguay, Brazil, Paraguay.

During the day, spiders hide in deep (up to 60 cm) vertical burrows, often lined with cobwebs, and at night they emerge from their hiding places in search of food.

Tarantula hole

Tarantula in a hole

Spider eyes for a spider life

Jumping spiders are active hunters, like tiny lions chasing their prey (beetles). They typically have eight eyes: two very large front eyes for clear color images and distance detection, and additional lateral eyes for detecting movement. Here is a photo of the Australian jumping spider.

Some spiders make webs to catch prey. These spiders also need to be able to see and judge distance clearly. Some have developed huge, scary-looking black eyes that stare straight ahead, which is why they are nicknamed man-eating spiders! These giant eyes help the spider see over a wide area and accurately cast a web to catch its prey. Here is a photo of a web spider.

This web spider is from the Deinopis family. The little dots that look like nostrils are actually his eyes!

Some spiders live in completely dark caves where their eyes are useless. They must rely on other senses to find food in the dark. These spiders lost their eyes during evolution, so now some of them have no eyes at all.

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.

Poisonous or not?

One of the most important questions related to tarantulas is whether they are poisonous or not, are they dangerous to humans? Despite a lot of legends , a lot of misinformed people and confusion with other types of spiders, the tarantula is believed to be dangerous. Yes, the spider is poisonous, and its poison can kill, but only animals. A tarantula cannot harm a person, and its bite will be similar to the sting of a bee or hornet. Moreover, the tarantula will not look for you and attack, despite the fact that it is a predator. You can provoke him to attack only by invading his territory or destroying his house (banal self-defense).

It is important to understand that
you should not deliberately ask for an attack from a spider that is unknown to you.
At certain times of the year, for example, in spring, at this time the venom of spiders gains strength (it is more toxic) and some individuals with their bite can lead to unpleasant consequences. An infected person may experience nausea, dizziness, and the like (not fatal, but creepy and unpleasant). The degree of danger varies depending on the time of year:

Spring - at this time spiders wake up and have a rather weak poison;
Summer - they are completely awake, the poison intensifies several times;
Autumn - the strength of the poison declines again due to the approaching hibernation.

Types of tarantulas - photos, descriptions and names

The genus Tarantula includes more than 200 species of spiders. Among them, the most famous are the following types:

Apulian tarantula (true tarantula) (Lycosa tar a ntula)

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 (Lycosa singoriensis)

is an inhabitant of fields, gardens and vegetable gardens, 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 (Lycosa hispanica, Tarantula iberica )

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 (Lycosa erythrognatha, formerly Lycosa raptoria )

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. The 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

the spider is gray-brown in color. 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."

Structure

Externally, tarantulas are not fundamentally different from other spiders. But their internal structure is more primitive than that of the “higher” species.

The tarantula's cephalothorax is “empty” inside; all internal organs are located in the abdomen. There are 8 eyes on the front of the cephalothorax. The distribution of the organs of vision is uneven:

bottom row 4 small eyes;
medium – 2 large;
top – 2 small ones.

The latter are located on the sides of the cephalothorax, allowing Lycosa representatives to see around 360°. The tarantula's vision is very well developed, as this spider hunts at night.

There are 5 pairs of limbs on the cephalothorax. The first pair of limbs has transformed into powerful chelicerae, with which the tarantula bites through the shell of its prey. The second pair, pedipalps, helps to grasp and hold prey. In the male it is also a reproductive organ, which is why his pedipalps are more developed than those of the female. The remaining 3 pairs are for movement.

These three pairs contain thin sensory hairs that serve as tactile and auditory organs. Thanks to the hairs, the spider hears the approach of danger or prey. This is where the similarities between different species of tarantulas of the genus Lycosa end. Due to different living conditions and climates, the lifestyle and breeding times of these spiders do not coincide.

Tarantula - reproduction

The mating season for tarantulas usually begins in late summer. A sexually mature male finds a smooth, flat surface and spins a web on it. Having completed the preparations, he begins to rub his belly against her. As a result of such stimulation, seminal fluid is erupted, after which the male tarantula plunges his pedipalps into it, which absorb it until the fertilization process occurs.

Having found a female, the male begins a courtship ritual, consisting of a kind of mating dance. If the female tarantula reciprocates the partner's feelings, he plunges his pedipalps with a portion of seed into her cloaca and fertilizes her. After this, the male needs to leave his partner as soon as possible so as not to become another portion of food for her.

The female tarantula, having descended into the hole, weaves a cocoon from the web, into which she lays fertilized eggs, the number of which ranges from 50 to 2000 pieces.

For 40-50 days, the female carries the maturing offspring on her arachnoid warts (special paired outgrowths located on the abdomen).

The hatched spiderlings climb onto their mother's back and stay there until they learn to feed without her help.

After this, the tarantula cubs leave their mother and begin to live independently. Small tarantulas reach sexual maturity in the second or third year of life.

Is it possible to reproduce

Sexual maturity in females occurs 1.5-2 years later than in males. If for males this is 1.5-2 years, then for females it is 4-5 years. The mating period begins at the end of summer. After mating, the male usually dies, and the female begins to prepare for the winter. Female tarantulas lay eggs and place them in a silk cocoon, which is attached to the outside of the abdomen. “Gestation” lasts 40-50 days. During this period, under natural conditions, the female tries to be in the sun more often in order to speed up the incubation process, but at home it is worth increasing the temperature in the terrarium to +30...+32 °C.

A clutch can contain from 50 to 500 eggs. After the incubation period is completed, the little spiderlings remain with their mother for another month, sometimes covering her entire body. After the expiration of a month, the babies leave the female and begin to lead an adult lifestyle. There are cases when the female herself drives away the young or even eats some part of it, so the babies need to be weaned on time.

Well, now you have the necessary knowledge on how to properly keep a tarantula at home, let this knowledge be useful to you, and remember: we are responsible for those we have tamed.

If you are planning to have a tarantula as a pet, you should be well informed about them. These pets require special care. In this article we will talk about the needs of these spiders.

There are about 35,000 species of spiders known in the world. Of these, about 900 are tarantulas. This is a genus of large venomous araneomorph spiders from the wolf spider family (Lycosidae). The body length of large representatives reaches 3.5 cm.

They have a heavy body structure and eight eyes on the convex front of the body. They are all venomous to one degree or another and have a tendency to bite. The bites of some tarantulas are painful, reminiscent of a hornet sting and cause swelling

Tarantula bite and the effect of poison on humans. Is the tarantula dangerous?

Usually the tarantula does not attack people on its own. An attack can be forced by the actions of the person himself, who comes close to the mink or accidentally touches the spider. Fortunately, a venomous tarantula bite is not dangerous to a healthy adult. The exceptions are children and people with a predisposition to allergic reactions.

Tarantula is in an attacking pose

Symptoms and consequences of a tarantula bite can be expressed as follows:

local pain and redness of the skin, as well as swelling;
drowsiness and general malaise;
a sharp short-term increase in general body temperature;
in exceptional cases, nausea, vomiting and difficulty breathing may occur.

What to do if you are bitten by a tarantula to minimize the consequences?

First aid for a tarantula bite:

wash the wound with antibacterial soap;
treat it with an antiseptic;
call for medical help;
Cool the tarantula bite area with an ice pack;
take antihistamines;
Give the bitten person a large amount of fluid to help remove toxins quickly.

Advantages

It's time to tell you what advantages spiders have with their visual organs and their structure.

Firstly, the number and structure of the eyes allows you to see a more detailed picture. It is even better than that of a human;
Secondly, with the help of the first pair they see a close-up;
Thirdly, they are shortsighted. They see objects that are beyond 10 cm worse than those that are close;
Fourth, they have the ability to see ultraviolet and perceive polarized light;
Fifthly, they accurately determine the distance to an object, see everything that is happening around them and, with the help of their eyes, easily navigate the grass.

Homemade tarantula - care and maintenance. What to feed a tarantula at home?

The tarantula is an unusual pet, but today there are quite a few lovers of exotic animals, which include tarantula spiders. These are quite unpretentious arthropods, which can be kept in special terrariums or even in aquariums that have a lid with ventilation holes.

A substrate consisting of a mixture of earth, sand and clay is poured onto the bottom of the container. The thickness of the layer should be within 20-30 cm. In addition, it is necessary to equip the tarantula terrarium with an automatic drinking bowl with fresh water and a shallow pool so that the pet can take water treatments. To create conditions similar to natural ones, it is recommended to place small driftwood and unpretentious grass in the container.

The optimal temperature for keeping tarantulas at home ranges from 25° to 27°C, and since such pets do not need ultraviolet radiation, ordinary incandescent lamps are sufficient to maintain it. To maintain humidity inside the terrarium, you need to periodically irrigate the soil using a spray bottle.

Tarantula spiders are unpretentious in their diet. You can feed your pet tarantula small pieces of fresh beef. As mineral supplements, you can add calcium gluconate to the meatball once every two weeks and multivitamin preparations once every 30 days. The portion should be fed on the tip of a stick directly into the spider's chelicerae.

However, the best food for a domestic tarantula will be insect larvae, small cockroaches and grasshoppers, worms and small frogs, in general, any insect that is not larger than the pet. The frequency of feeding of the tarantula depends on the age of the spider. If young individuals need to be fed two to three times a week, then an adult tarantula needs one meal every 8 days. After finishing feeding, all leftovers from the feast must be removed.

It should be remembered that only 1 domestic tarantula can be kept in a terrarium. Otherwise, fights will constantly arise between neighbors, which will lead to the death of one of the pets.

Individuals

The cross spider looks at the world around it with eight eyes. He hunts at night, and therefore the work of his organs of vision resembles the work of a video camera operating in night mode. But if the camera perceives infrared light, then the spider's eyes perceive polarized radiation.

The jumping spider, which has eight eyes arranged in three rows, is able to determine the distance to an object. He measures the exact distance with his front main eyes. They consist of four photosensitive layers. When hunting, they help him aim accurately. Arachnologists have even established that horses can distinguish colors.

In the photo: Araneus diadematus

Cave spiders are practically blind and rely as much as possible on other senses. Orb-weaving spiders have the smallest eyes. For example, Araneus diadematus simply senses movement when prey gets caught in its web.

Interesting facts about the tarantula

The best antidote for tarantula venom is its blood, so often to neutralize the effect of the toxin, it is enough to smear the bite site with the blood of a crushed spider.
The web is the connecting link between the spider and its home. If the web breaks during the tarantula's escape from the hole, the spider will be forced to dig a new shelter for itself.
Tarantulas are capable of regenerating lost limbs. After the next molt, a new leg grows in place of the severed paw, slightly smaller in size. With each subsequent change of protective cover, the length of the limb increases until it reaches the original length.
To stay firmly on tree branches or other surfaces, these spiders are able to extend their claws on all their legs.
The skin on the abdomen of tarantulas is very delicate and can tear if it falls even from a small height.
During the mating season, males in search of a female are able to move quite long distances.

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Lifestyle

The spider spends most of its time in a hole dug by its own efforts. Tarantula burrows can reach 25 centimeters deep . Inside each burrow, a wall of leaves and cobwebs is cultivated. To protect against rain or before the onset of winter, the spider goes deeper and closes its “hut” with web and earth.

The tarantula is a predator, and therefore is often in search of prey. Spiders hunt mainly at night, sometimes during the day, waiting for prey near their home. Almost all careless insects fall under the insidious mites of tarantulas, among them: caterpillars, mole crickets, crickets, beetles and others.

Tarantulas prefer to be located as close to “home” as possible; they painstakingly protect their territory , protecting themselves from strangers. In cases where the spider needs to move away from the hole, it ties itself to it with a web to make it easier to find its way home. The only option to force the creature to leave its home territory is the mating season; at this moment the spiders forget about everything and lose their heads. As a result, they are able to go a long way in search of a suitable female.