Facts About a Tarantula
Tarantula Illustration
Tarantulas are black or brown in color and have hairy bodies. They can measure up to 13 inches in length. Although frightening in appearance, tarantulas are only aggressive when provoked.
Tarantulas typically live in arid, semi-desert regions. Some species also exist in tropical rainforests. Tarantulas are not web-spinning spiders. Most dwell in burrows, while some live in arboreal retreats. The tarantula's silk is used to line these homes, as well as to protect egg sacs. Tarantula spiders are solitary and only interact in order to mate.
The diet of the tarantula includes grasshoppers, beetles and other spiders. Vertebrates such as mice, toads, snakes, frogs and lizards may also fall prey to the tarantula. Arboreal species prey upon flying insects, moths, frogs and nestling birds.
All tarantulas undergo molting, during which they shed their exoskeletons in order to grow. Some tarantula specimens have been known to live for many years.
Scientific Name for Tarantulas
Life Expectancy of a Tarantula