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Overview. Like all arthropods, the tarantula is an invertebrate that relies on an exoskeleton for muscular support. [5] . Like other Arachnida, a tarantula's body comprises two main parts, the prosoma (or cephalothorax) and the opisthosoma (or abdomen). The prosoma and opisthosoma are connected by the pedicel, or pregenital somite.
Description of the Tarantula. Tarantulas have eight hairy legs, a cephalothorax, and an abdomen. The legs are attached to the cephalothorax, as are the eyes, the mouth, and the fangs. The spinnerets are at the very end of the abdomen, and are used for producing spider silk.
- Molting. Tarantulas periodically shed their external skeletons in a process called molting. In the process, they also replace internal organs, such as female genitalia and stomach lining, and even regrow lost appendages.
- Habitat. There are hundreds of tarantula species found in most of the world's tropical, subtropical, and arid regions. They vary in color and behavior according to their specific environments.
- Hunting. Tarantulas are slow and deliberate movers, but accomplished nocturnal predators. Insects are their main prey, but they also target bigger game, including frogs, toads, and mice.
- Natural Threats. Tarantulas have few natural enemies, but parasitic pepsis wasps are a formidable exception. Such a wasp will paralyze a tarantula with its sting and lay its eggs on the spider's body.
- Tarantulas are quite docile and rarely bite people. A tarantula bite to a human is often no worse than a bee sting in terms of toxicity, but it can vary by species.
- Tarantulas defend themselves by throwing needle-like hairs at their attackers. If a tarantula does feel threatened, it uses its hind legs to scrape barbed hairs (called urticating or stinging hairs) from its abdomen and flick them in the direction of the threat.
- Female tarantulas can live 30 years or longer in the wild. Female tarantulas are famously long-lived. In captivity, some species have been known to live for over 30 years.
- Tarantulas come in a wide variety of colors, shapes, and sizes. Colorful tarantulas that can be kept as pets include the Mexican red knee tarantula (Brachypelma smithi), the Chilean rose tarantula (Grammastola rosea), and the pink-toed tarantula (Aricularia avicularia).
Aug 23, 2024 · Tarantula, (family Theraphosidae), any of numerous hairy and generally large spiders found in the southwestern United States, Mexico, and tropical America. Tarantulas are mygalomorphs (suborder Orthognatha), and thus they have jaws that move forward and down (rather than sideways and together,
- The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Dec 24, 2014 · Here’s how it works. This is not the world(Image credit: Ioannis Pantzi, Shutterstock) As the world’s largest spiders, tarantulas are both feared and beloved. There are more than 850 species of...
Tarantulas give people the creeps because they have large, hairy bodies and legs. While these large spiders can take a painful bite out of a human, a tarantula's venom has a...
