Mother Nature's Creepiest Best


                Are you ready for another one of Mother Nature’s creeeeeepy creatures? I have to tell you that this even creeped me out a little bit – and fascinated me too!

                Let us visit with the mighty Tarantula!

                Now that I’ve gotten your cackles up a little bit, the first thing I have to tell you is, the tarantula is not nearly as mighty as you think it is. Like you, I’ve long thought of the tarantula as this big, hairy, menacing, deadly poisonous spider monster! (Shudder!)

                Now I almost hate to burst that bubble for you.

                There are some monstrous ones, to be sure. The biggest species, the Giant Goliath Bird-eating Tarantula of South America, has a body length of about 1 foot (31 cm). That’s roughly the size of a dinner plate! To make things creepier, when he grins, you can see his 1 inch (2.5 cm) long fangs! But some of the tiniest tarantulas are only 1/3 of an inch (8 mm) long! Small enough to relax on your thumb!

                As for the deadly poison, it turns out, although tarantulas do carry venom, they can only administer a bite that is comparable to the sting of a wasp. Painful and uncomfortable, yes. But for the most part, completely survivable. (Although I would still recommend seeing a doctor if you get a tarantula bite.)

                Disappointed that the tarantula is not the mighty monster you thought he was? Don’t be. There are still a lot of things to know about these hairy creatures, and some of them might make your skin crawl.

·         There are some 800 different species of tarantula in the world.

·         The tarantula’s main means of defense is sharp, barbed hairs, which the spider deposits into his predator.

·         They don’t spin webs, like other spiders. Instead they’ve devised a clever way to use their silk. They make a mass of it around the entrance to their underground burrows. This mass acts as a burglar alarm, warning the tarantulas of intruders through vibrations.

·         Now and then, tarantulas will molt, shedding their entire exoskeleton. At the same time they’ll sometimes molt and replace other more intimate organs, such as stomach linings.

·         They eat insects, rodents and, sometimes, birds. But they can’t eat solid food, so they inject a substance into their prey that turns it into mush that the spider can suck up.

·         After a large meal, a tarantula may not need to eat for a month.

·         Female tarantulas can live up to 30 years in the wild. The males only live for 5 to 10 years.

·         In spite of their (sometimes) very large size and intimidating appearance, tarantulas are quite delicate. They have such thin skin that they get injured easily in any kind of a fall.

·         Tarantulas have claws! They can retract these like a cat.

·         If a tarantula loses a leg, it can regenerate it again the next time it molts.

·         When a tarantula loses a leg, it sometimes eats it!

And, once again, I find myself fascinated and amazed by the wonders of Mother Nature. Even the slightly creepier wonders.

Have a fun Hallowe’en and stay safe!

 File:Sand tarantula.jpg

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