More than 220 different species of spiders belong to the genus Tarantula. The most common species is the Apulian tarantula. The family is called wolf spiders.
Where do they meet?
Habitat: Southern Europe with a temperate tropical climate. Some species can also be found in Russia. Spiders live in burrows. In cold weather, the entrance to it is covered with dry leaves glued together with cobwebs.
Tarantulas are predators; they emerge from their burrows to hunt for prey in the evening or at night. During the hunt, they behave very carefully, approaching the future victim slowly with frequent stops and then quickly, unexpectedly jumping and biting. Until the poison takes effect, they continue to pursue her. They very carefully protect their territory near the hole from strangers. They leave her only during the mating season.
Description
The Apulian tarantula (photo below) grows up to 7 cm in length. The body is brown-gray, covered with white fluffy hairs.
The whole body is lined, as it were, with transverse and longitudinal stripes of light and dark shades. The paw span reaches 30 cm. The tarantula has the ability to regenerate limbs. During molting, a new paw grows in place of the severed paw, which increases in size with each molt and acquires the desired size. The spider has very interesting and unusual three rows of shiny eyes on its head. Four small balls are located in the lowest row, on top of which there are two large eyes and another pair located on the sides. Thanks to its developed visual organs, the tarantula closely monitors what is happening around it. Distinguishes the silhouettes of insects, as well as shadow and light. Spiders have excellent hearing. Female tarantulas are larger than males, their weight can reach 90 g.
Nutrition
The Apulian tarantula spider eats:
- small frogs;
- crickets;
- ground beetles;
- cockroaches;
- caterpillars;
- Zhukov;
- mosquitoes;
- spiders of other species.
Reproduction
Females live about 4 years, males - up to 2. In spring, females emerge from their burrows and bask in the sun. They can travel long distances in search of a mate. They court the female they like for a short time. They mate at the end of summer once in their entire lives; the males die immediately, as the female bites her lover after fertilization. Lays eggs in a hole. Females carry them on themselves in a web cocoon, carefully caring for future offspring. After maturation, young spiders crawl out of the cocoon and live on the female’s belly for some time. As they grow up, the spiders become independent and move away from her. Sometimes the mother provokes the younger generation to enter adulthood earlier. She comes out of the hole and, spinning, throws the spiderlings off her body. The young look for a new home and dig a hole for themselves, the size of which will increase as the spider grows.
Tarantula bite
The Apulian tarantula does not attack a person without reason. If he is disturbed, he takes a threatening pose: he stands on his hind legs, raises his front legs and then attacks and bites, releasing the toxin. The bitten area can be burned with a match or cigarette to prevent the poison from decomposing. For prevention purposes, antiallergic drugs are taken. Oddly enough, the best antidote is the blood of a tarantula. After killing the spider, they smear the affected area with its blood, thereby neutralizing the effect of the toxin. Tarantula venom is low-toxic; swelling forms at the site of the bite, which is very painful, and an increase in body temperature is also possible.
Breeding tarantulas at home
These insects are kept in apartments, despite their painful bites and quick reactions.
Therefore, when keeping spiders, you should be careful, collected, careful and attentive. Only one tarantula is placed in the terrarium, since when living together with their brothers, they constantly fight to the bitter end, figuring out who is stronger. The area of the home should be spacious. The bottom of the terrarium is covered with a substrate, which includes moistened:
- peat;
- black soil;
- humus;
- Earth;
- clay;
- sand.
The insect is given the opportunity to dig a hole, so the thickness of the soil is made at least 20-30 cm. The terrarium should always be kept closed so that the tarantula cannot get out. The home is cleaned at least once every 40-45 days. The Apulian tarantula is not particularly picky about temperature conditions and feels good at a temperature of 18-30 degrees. To maintain humidity, you can place a container of water at the bottom of the terrarium.
Food for spiders is bought in specialized stores; they prefer:
- crickets;
- Argentine, Turkmen;
- mealworm;
- Zophobas larvae;
- pieces of lean beef.
Vitamins and calcium gluconate are added to food at least once a month.
In captivity, the Apulian tarantula spider (the description and content of which is presented above) lives twice as long. Its lifespan depends on the number of molts and nutrition. The better the tarantula feeds, the more often it sheds and, therefore, lives less. For a spider's longevity, it must be kept from hand to mouth.
In the 15th century, there was a belief that the bite of the Apulian tarantula was dangerous and the cause of a particularly dangerous disease. He was considered the culprit of the epidemics that were widespread at that time in the vicinity of Taranto in Italy.
The bites were treated in a very unusual way. The victim was forced to dance until he lost consciousness. After such dancing, the person instantly fell asleep and woke up completely healthy.
Tarantulas do not weave webs, but only use webs to strengthen their homes.
Tarantula (Lycosa) is a type of poisonous spider belonging to the wolf spider family (Lycosidae). This family is scattered throughout almost all countries of the world and has about 1,200 species. Some species of wolf spiders even live in the Arctic.
Habitat of tarantulas
Tarantulas can be found in the desert zone of Central Asia and Kazakhstan, smaller representatives can also be found in the southern zone of Europe. The eastern border of their habitat runs through China and Mongolia, then Greece, Egypt, Asia Minor, and North Africa. They are also found in the upper reaches of the Dnieper, Pripyat, Yenisei, the Volga delta, as well as in Austria, Hungary, and Romania.
A completely different spider, the tarantula, is often mistakenly called a tarantula. These are completely different creatures belonging to different genera, and in structure and habits they are completely different. – a real giant spider with a leg span of up to 30 cm and a weight of up to 120 grams. Tarantulas rarely exceed the 7 cm mark. Tarantulas are also considered large spiders, but they are still far from tarantulas. The length of tarantulas can reach 6-7 cm; there are also smaller species.
Lifestyle of tarantulas
They do not weave trapping nets, but prefer to hunt on the ground. Here they choose a convenient ambush and hunt down their prey. Having waited for the right moment, tarantulas overtake the victim in several jumps (hence the name of the family - wolf spiders).
Many tarantulas prefer to lead a nomadic lifestyle, while some, living in the steppes and deserts, prefer a sedentary lifestyle. They find burrows that are convenient for them and settle in them. Tarantula spiders are nocturnal and rarely appear on the surface during the day.
Dzungarian tarantula
The South Russian or Dzungarian tarantula is common in the Caucasus, Central Asia, and southern Ukraine. Here it can be found in the steppes, in floodplain meadows near rivers.
When viewed from the front, the Dzungarian tarantula is quite cute and resembles a fairy-tale gnome. In a calm state, its front legs are lowered and a large streamlined head part of the body is visible, below is a transverse strip of short hairs, reminiscent of a short whisker brush; under it there is thick, longer hair, similar to a beard, and above there are 2 large eyes and under them 4 smaller eyes. Just a cartoon character! But if suddenly someone had the imprudence to disturb it, the picture changes radically: the spider raises its front legs high above its head, taking a threatening pose. Now he no longer looks like the sweetest creature. He's ready to attack!
The tarantula's vision is excellent. The spider has 8 eyes located at the cephalothorax end. 4 of them are shiny and clearly visible, and 4 are duller. The spider's 8 large legs, widely spaced in all directions, are covered with long black hairs. The poisonous apparatus of the tarantula is located on the sides of the anterior section of the cephalothorax and consists of two glands, the ducts of which end at the sharp ends of the strong jaws.
Tarantula poison
The degree of poisonousness of tarantulas has been greatly exaggerated. As scientists suggest, in cases of severe poisoning and even death, it is not the tarantula that is to blame, but the “black widow,” which lives in many southern regions of the Earth along with tarantulas. The toxicity of tarantula venom is clearly exaggerated, says a geologist who was on an expedition in the Aral Sea region. Stepping on the spider with his bare foot, he was immediately bitten. The geologist, who had once read horror stories about poisonous tarantulas, began to wait for death. The pain slowly spread up his leg, and then he suddenly felt better. The leg didn’t hurt much anymore, and after a few days there was no trace of pain left. There was only some stiffness left in the limb, but that soon went away. The victim could not understand anything. Upon arrival from the expedition, after studying the scientific literature, the geologist found out that the tarantula is in fact a poisonous creature, but not for people. The venom of this spider is highly toxic to invertebrate animals. The tarantula most often feeds on them. The toxin is of a protein nature and, due to histamine and hyaluronidase, which increase tissue permeability, easily penetrates into the body of animals. Spider venom affects smooth muscles, causing them to contract convulsively.
How to Avoid a Tarantula Bite
Spiders attack only in defense. This means that to avoid a tarantula bite, you simply need to not touch it. A spider can bite if it is stepped on or accidentally disturbed. Seeing a hand extended to it, the tarantula, as a rule, hurries to hide.
What to do if you are bitten by a tarantula?
The bite site is washed with soap and water. To dull the pain, cold is applied to the affected area. After a tarantula bite, the victim needs rest. You need to drink as much hot liquid as possible. For convulsions, thermal procedures are used.
X Although an allergic reaction to a tarantula bite is not so common, it is recommended that the victim be taken to the hospital as quickly as possible.
In contact with
Among the representatives of the wolf spider family there are really interesting specimens, for example, tarantulas - large poisonous araneomorphic spiders that became famous during the Middle Ages. The genus of tarantulas includes 220 species, of which the most famous are the South Russian tarantula, which lives in Russia and Ukraine, and the Apulian tarantula, originally from the Italian city of Taranto, which gave the common name to all representatives of the genus.
South Russian Tarantula or Mizgir.
Tarantula Apulian (female). 
South Russian Tarantula or Mizgir. 
Tarantula Lycosa aragogi, endemic to Iran. 
Contrary to popular belief, a tarantula bite is not dangerous to humans, causes only slight swelling and resembles a wasp sting. But in the middle of the 15th century they did not think so and attributed terrible misfortunes to large spiders living in the vicinity of Taranto. It was believed that a person bitten by a tarantula would inevitably go crazy and end his life in terrible agony, so people invented the same ridiculous antidote for a spider bite. According to the authoritative opinion of healers of those times, only crazy dancing to the point of exhaustion can save a person from death, and interestingly, this is how the world came to know the tarantella - one of the most famous Italian folk dances.
What does a tarantula look like?
In the photo, the tarantula strongly resembles a tarantula spider, but the latter is a mygalomorphic spider and is particularly large in size.
Tarantulas are quite large spiders, growing up to 10 cm in length with a body weight of about 90 g. The size of the legendary Apulian tarantulas usually does not exceed 7 cm, southern Russian relatives are much smaller and grow up to 2.5 - 3.5 cm. Females of any species are larger than males .
The fluffy body of the tarantula is formed by two sections: the cephalothorax and abdomen, connected by a thin hollow bridge - a stalk. The upper part of the body is covered with a dense chitinous shell, the stomach remains defenseless. There are 4 pairs of eyes on the head, allowing one to see the blurry outlines of prey at a distance of 20 - 30 cm.
The long legs of predators are densely studded with sensitive hairs, which play an important tactile role in searching for prey and protect the spider from natural enemies. When in contact with human skin, the hairs can cause an allergic reaction.
South Russian tarantula or Mizgir: close-up view of the muzzle. 
South Russian Tarantula or Mizgir: macro photography. 
South Russian tarantula or Mizgir: macro photography. 
The protective coloration allows tarantulas to successfully camouflage themselves against the background of the surrounding landscape. Apulian tarantulas are painted in dark colors with a light edging; the abdomen of females is red, decorated with one longitudinal and several transverse black and white stripes. You can recognize the South Russian tarantula in the photo by its black belly and brown-red top.
Habitat and lifestyle
Tarantulas are typical inhabitants of deserts, semi-deserts and arid steppe regions of Eurasia, Central and South America, North Africa, and Australia.
These nocturnal predators during the day prefer to hole up in burrows up to 60 cm deep, camouflaged by fallen leaves. Tarantulas do not build trapping nets, but use cobwebs to frame the walls of the burrow, and females weave a cocoon from threads to bear offspring.
Tarantula hole, steppe of Kherson region. 
With the onset of darkness, tarantulas go out hunting, lying in wait for prey right in their hiding place or wandering around the surrounding area. The tarantula's hunting method is characteristic of most wolf spiders: the predator pounces on prey, paralyzing or killing it with its poison, and then sucks out the contents.
Tarantula hunting without leaving its hole. Uzbekistan - 04/05/2008. 
The basis of the diet of tarantulas consists mainly of insects and their larvae: flies, cockroaches, crickets, beetles, as well as smaller representatives of their own order. Enlarged photos of tarantulas eating their prey are quite impressive.
Meadow moth in the arms of the South Russian tarantula. 
Reproduction
The mating season of these spiders occurs at the end of summer - beginning of autumn. The male, having noticed the female, begins a kind of dance, invitingly shaking and tapping his especially developed forelimbs. The female responds something similar and folds her front legs, which becomes a signal for the male to mate. Upon completion of the process, the male hurries to retreat, and the fertilized female hibernates in a tightly sealed burrow.
Tarantulas are poisonous spiders with various patterns on their bodies. Almost all tarantulas are hairy. They feed on insects and hunt at night. To the question “How many eyes does a tarantula have?” You can answer this way: there are 8 of them - two main large eyes, and the rest are auxiliary. Almost all types of tarantulas live in countries with a tropical climate and we could only see them in zoo terrariums. But we can also meet some representatives in the CIS countries, for example, such a spider as the South Russian tarantula. You need to know at least a short description of tarantulas in order to protect yourself and your loved ones and know what to do if you are bitten by a tarantula. This article presents the most famous species.
South Russian tarantula - Lycosa singoriensis
The South Russian tarantula has a body 2.5-3 cm long, densely covered with hairs. The spider is almost entirely black on the underside, and brownish-red on top. It can live in steppe, forest-steppe and desert zones. Distributed in Central Asia, Russia and Ukraine (covers the Crimean Peninsula). These tarantulas were also spotted in Belarus. These spiders live in earthen burrows (30-40 cm). At night they go hunting. This tarantula is capable of jumping up to 20 cm in length. They feed on insects (crickets, grasshoppers, etc.). At the end of summer, spiders mate. The male actively moves his front legs and vibrates his abdomen, thus attracting the female. After mating, the male must immediately leave, as the excited female may eat him. After some time, the female tarantula makes a cocoon from the web, where she lays her eggs. She attaches the cocoon to the top of her abdomen and reliably protects it. After the spiderlings are born (about 50 individuals), they climb back onto the spider and sit on it for some time. But soon they leave the mother’s body and begin an independent life. The South Russian tarantula lives for about 2 years, and in captivity no more than 1 year. The tarantula's bite is not very toxic. The bite site swells, becomes yellowish in color, and a burning sensation occurs.
White tarantula
Here is a short description of the white tarantula. Its body is the size of a coin (2-3 cm). The cephalothorax is white, the abdomen and other parts of the body are dark brown. The white tarantula does not yet have a binomial name, as it was discovered quite recently. It was found in 2011 in Western Australia. Scientists are researching this species, but for now we only know what a tarantula looks like. For now, this is all that can be said about the tarantula.
Blue Tarantula - Haplopelma lividum
The blue tarantula reaches 15 cm in length, ranging from light blue to dark blue, with a purple tint. It is found in Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam. Despite its bright color, the blue tarantula lives in an earthen hole. It feeds on large insects, hunts them in the evening or catches them running past holes. The blue tarantula reaches sexual maturity in one year, and females in the second year of life. It is not difficult to keep this spider at home. Required temperature 22-24° C, ambient humidity 80-85%. It is necessary to pour 6-8 cm of substrate into a terrarium or aquarium. The blue tarantula is poisonous, but its poison is not fatal. A person bitten by it experiences burning pain at the site of the bite, and the area becomes swollen and inflamed. But after some time these symptoms disappear. It is recommended to pick it up only for people experienced in this matter, since the blue tarantula is quite aggressive and fast.
Apulian tarantula - Lycosa tarantula
This tarantula reaches 7 cm in length. The body is gray-brown, covered with white hairs. There are many light and dark, longitudinal and transverse stripes on the body. They live in Southern Europe: Portugal, Spain, Italy. The Apulian tarantula lives in burrows up to 60 cm deep. It emerges from the burrow in the evening and hunts insects. In winter, the Apulian tarantula closes the entrance to its burrow with dry leaves fastened with cobwebs. Females of this species live up to 4 years, and males up to 2 years and mate once. Females lay eggs in a web cocoon and wear it on themselves. After some time, the spiderlings emerge from the cocoon and remain on the mother’s abdomen for a short time. Tarantula venom is not very toxic, but it causes painful swelling in humans at the site of the bite.
Photo of a Puglian tarantula
Black tarantula - Grammostola pulchra
The description is as follows: this tarantula tarantula is 6-7 cm in size, black in color and densely covered with hairs. Lives in Brazil. Prefers a fairly humid environment (about 60-70 mm per month) and a temperature of 18-25 C°. When the cold season comes, the black tarantula digs a hole in the ground, where it spends the winter. As a pet tarantula, this is an excellent option, as it is quite calm and not fast. Moreover, this is a long-lived spider, it lives up to 20 years. Due to their slow development, black tarantulas become adults at 6-7 years of age. They feed on insects. This spider is kept in terrariums filled with substrate with different shelters and recesses. Their mating is peaceful and calm. After mating, the female lays eggs in a web cocoon, where there are about 100 spider embryos. The spider guards the cocoon and carries it with her. The black tarantula is not dangerous, it is quite calm, but if handled incorrectly, it can bite. The symptoms of its bite are similar to those of a bee or hornet sting.
King Baboon Tarantula
This is the largest tarantula spider, its body length reaches 23 cm. The king baboon tarantula is light red to dark brown in color. The body is covered with short hairs. It has very strong and large legs, especially its hind leg (8 - that’s how many legs tarantulas have). Thanks to this, he takes a stance, warning his enemy of the attack. At the same time, he rubs his paws and makes a characteristic sound. Lives in eastern Africa, Kenya, Tanzania. The king baboon feeds on large insects, lizards, and small birds. Many lovers of exotic spiders want to have such a handsome spider in their home, but the question arises: is it dangerous? The king baboon is quite aggressive and fast, his character is unpredictable. If something goes wrong, he can easily bite you. So beginners in this business should be careful. Its venom is not fatal to humans, but causes pain, burning and swelling at the site of the bite. It also has large and sharp chelicerae (jaws) with which it pierces the skin.
As you can see, a tarantula bite is not fatal to humans, but quite painful. Therefore, with peaceful and correct coexistence with him in your home, you will only receive pleasure from contemplating these beautiful creatures. Caring for them does not require much effort. The main thing is to adhere to the temperature and humidity in which this or that species is used to being.
You already understand what to feed the tarantula. The above species have the same tastes - these are live insects. But how much a tarantula costs depends on the species: the more exotic the tarantula, the higher its price.
Don't be afraid to have tarantulas in your home, it's an amazing experience. But at the same time, do not forget about the characteristics of your pet and be careful.
The tarantula is a large venomous spider. It belongs to the genus Tarantula, family of wolf spiders, order of spiders, class of Arachnids, phylum of arthropods.
The roots of the name go back to the Renaissance. It was at that time that most of the seizures that occurred in humans were associated with spider bites, which lived in large numbers in Italian cities, in particular Taranto, which is located in the south of the country. It is believed that these spiders got their name from here.
What does a tarantula look like - description
Like all arthropods, tarantulas have a body divided into two parts:
- Abdomen.
- Cephalothorax.
Its body is covered with small, fine hairs.
In the part of the upper cephalothorax of the tarantula there are eight eyes, four of them form a straight line, but the others form a trapezoid (they are larger). It is because of this eye structure that a poisonous spider can view its surroundings at 360 degrees. In addition to excellent vision, in search of a female (during the mating season) or in search of food, these arthropods use a well-developed sense of smell. The abdominal region contains the internal organs.
The body size of a tarantula can be from 2.5 to 10 centimeters. But the leg span reaches 30 centimeters. Males are much smaller in size and weight than females. The weight of a female can be 90 grams. Throughout its life, the tarantula spider can change its chitinous body covering several times. Eight powerful long spider legs The tarantula is covered with fine bristles. When moving on a watery or loose surface, they increase the support area.
Powerful chelicerae (mandibles), due to the poisonous ducts that open on their jagged tops, serve not only as an oral appendage for such arachnids, but also as a means of defense and attack.
The tarantula spider has the following colors:
- Black.
- Gray.
- Brown.
- Light (very rare).
Such arachnids have well-developed sexual dimorphism. The differences between females and males are:
- Less developed forelimbs.
- Larger size.
These spiders lead a solitary lifestyle. Only during the mating season do they meet members of the opposite sex. At any time of the year, the males of such arachnids quarrel with each other. The exception is the hibernation period.
Where do tarantulas live?
These poisonous spiders live in semi-desert, desert, forest-steppe and steppe climatic zones of Asia Minor and Central Asia, North Africa, America and Southern Europe. Representatives of this genus can also be found in the vicinity of Paraguay, Brazil, Uruguay, Argentina, Sudan, Greece, Morocco, Romania, Libya, Ukraine, Spain, Belarus, Algeria, Portugal, China, Hungary, Egypt, Mongolia, Italy, Austria, Russia .
During the daytime, these arachnids hide in vertical deep burrows (up to 60 centimeters), and at night they climb out to search for prey.
What does a tarantula eat?
The diet of these arachnids is quite varied. It consists mainly of amphibians and small insects . Tarantulas eat small frogs, beetles, cockroaches, crickets, mole crickets, caterpillars.
They wait for prey, hiding in a hole, or they can choose another shelter. When they attack a victim, they paralyze it with their poison. This poison dissolves the insides of the prey over a period of time, turning it into a nutritious liquid. Subsequently, the tarantula simply sucks out this liquid.
It was found that the size of their prey never exceeded the size of the hunter. But the process of absorbing one victim can take several days. These arachnids can go without food for a long period. For them, the main thing is constant access to water..
Tarantula bite - is it dangerous for humans?
Basically, a tarantula never attacks a person on its own. Aggression can be caused by human actions: accidentally touching a spider or coming close to a hole. A tarantula bite is not dangerous to the health of an adult. Exceptions are people with allergies and children..
Consequences of a tarantula bite and symptoms:
If you are bitten by a tarantula, you should provide the following first aid:
- Wash the wound with antibacterial soap.
- Treat the bite site with an antiseptic.
- Call emergency medical assistance.
- Cool the bite area using a heating pad with ice.
- Use antihistamines.
- Give the person bitten as much fluid as he can drink. This is necessary for faster removal of toxins.
Types of earth spider tarantula
More than two hundred varieties of these arachnids have been identified. The most common of them are the following types:
