Tarantula is a genus of araneomorphic spiders belonging to the wolf spider family. They live mainly in arid areas such as steppes and deserts. During the day they hide in holes, and at night they go out hunting. Spiders scour the ground in search of insects. Tarantulas, unlike many other species, do not weave webs, but use the web only to strengthen their homes.
There are more than two hundred species of tarantulas in the world, inhabiting places with temperate and tropical climates. Some of them live in Russia.
Etymology of the name
This name comes from one of the varieties of spiders that live near the city of Taranto. According to local residents of the fifteenth century, spiders were the cause of a disease called "Tarantism". According to legend, the bite of this spider infected with an unusual disease that led to inevitable death, and the only possible way to recover was a special, very energetic dance - the tarantella (known to this day). It was common to think that dance should draw all the strength out of the “patient” along with the disease.
Description of appearance
Tarantulas have a double, hairy body and two pairs of four legs . It consists of two parts - the cephalothorax and abdomen. The spider's head has eight eyes that allow it to look around 360 degrees. Almost all subspecies are black or brown in color (there are bright exceptions).
American tarantulas are much larger than other species, they can reach ten centimeters, with a paw span of up to thirty centimeters. Tarantulas, which lived much shorter in Europe, rarely reach five centimeters. Males are smaller than females.
Many people confuse the species of tarantulas with other large spiders , for example, tarantulas (most people consider them to be tarantulas). This opinion is fundamentally incorrect, since the tarantula belongs to mygalomorphic spiders. Over time, the error became entrenched in society and culture.
The appearance of these beauties can be appreciated in the photo.
Interesting facts about tarantulas
Tarantulas are amazing animals. These are quite peaceful spiders, although large individuals are terrifying. It's worth taking a closer look at them. In captivity they live more than 20 years, females longer than males.
The largest representatives reach the size of a dinner plate (about 30 cm). The bad reputation they received from directors is undeserved. Many people really like to scare the population with horror films featuring spiders.
The photo shows a rare blue tarantula
In fact, they are docile and rarely bite. For such a large predator as a person, the poison will not be enough. The spider will most likely act wisely and will not attack a large, dangerous object.
Tarantulas are easily wounded creatures. They have very thin skin on their abdomen. Falling is deadly for him. Therefore, there is no need to pick up the spider. They produce silk for their web. Females need silk in the “interior” of the burrow to strengthen the walls; males need silk as a packaging material for storing eggs; traps near the burrow are also made from silk.
Tarantulas grow throughout their lives and change their exoskeleton several times. Using this fact, they can regenerate lost limbs. If he lost a leg, he will get it in the next molt, as if by magic.
It may not come out the right size. What matters here is age and the time of the previous molt. But it doesn't matter. The leg will grow with each molt, gradually acquiring the desired length.
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.
How to get rid of tarantulas in the garden
Start fighting these arthropods as soon as you notice their burrows in your area. Tarantulas make deep underground passages, dig holes and thereby reduce soil productivity.
Walk through all the beds, checking the secluded places under the leaves and in the depressions in the soil where the tarantulas could lay their eggs. Collect and burn all cocoons found. Spray the rows with boric acid or lime.
If there are few tarantula burrows in your area, place baits in the form of lumps of plasticine attached to threads like a sinker and lower them into the burrows. Spiders will certainly cling to these baits, then they can be collected and destroyed.
As a repellent plant, plant peppermint bushes in your area. If possible, drive stakes into the area and put wind rattles on them. The vibration from the rotating ratchets will be transmitted underground along the stakes, and the tarantulas will leave your area.
Important! If you plan to breed these arthropods, place the babies and mother immediately after they reach one month of age. During this period, the female ceases to recognize her cubs and often eats a significant part of them.
Reproduction
If the male managed to find a worthy candidate, he decides to hit on her. After a short courtship, the spiders enter into a relationship. Unfortunately, this relationship is not destined to end happily ever after. At the moment of mating, the male must be as careful and tense as possible, because at the end of this process the female will try to bite her “suitor” and dine on him. The fate of the male depends on how quickly he reacts (many manage to escape). The female, having already been fertilized, continues to live alone.
Tarantula
Next, the female begins to nurture the eggs; to do this, she gets out of the burrow and turns her abdomen towards the sun (sunlight promotes the development of eggs).
its eggs in its burrow .
At an early stage, they are stored in a cocoon, which she drags along with her throughout the entire “gestation” period. Even after birth, baby tarantulas live on their mother’s back until they become more independent (they learn to hunt and crawl).
Symptoms of a tarantula bite
In order to quickly respond to a spider attack and take measures to eliminate the consequences, you need to know the main symptoms. It is especially important to know the signs of a spider bite for people with high allergies. With increased sensitivity, a person has 2-5 minutes before the full clinical picture appears.
A reaction to a tarantula bite for a person who does not suffer from allergies is manifested by the following symptoms:
- the appearance of symmetrically located small dots on the skin, from which a light yellow liquid flows (ichor, or lymph);
- hyperemia of the skin at the site of the bite and around it;
- an increase in local body temperature by several degrees;
- severe pain at the site of the bite;
- the appearance of edema at the site of the lesion.
At the moment of an earth spider attack, a person feels a sharp and acute pain.
After the spider injects a toxic substance, the victim may experience an attack of nausea, dry mouth and dizziness. Vomiting and abdominal pain are also noted.
For those who suffer from allergic reactions, the symptoms will be slightly different. The main features are:
- the occurrence of swelling in the lips, tongue, nose and eyes;
- the development of severe itching and burning in the affected area, which does not disappear even after a person takes antihistamines;
- severe swelling at the site of the bite;
- numbness in the affected area, be it a leg, arm, finger or other part of the body;
- eruption of gastric contents, stool upset;
- decreased blood pressure and increased heart rate;
- increased drowsiness and general malaise;
- problems in the functioning of the speech apparatus;
- difficulty breathing, inability to fully inhale and exhale;
- loss of consciousness.
When an ordinary person takes psychostimulants, hallucinogenic drugs and alcohol, the reaction to a tarantula bite will be the same as in people with allergies.
Known species
- The Apulian tarantula is perhaps the most famous subspecies. These crumbs rarely reach seventy millimeters in length, but they have a rich history. The fact is that this is the same species that lives in the vicinity of Taranto. It was this spider that was considered poisonous and dangerous, causing a “terrible” disease.
- The South Russian tarantula is another famous species that lives in Russia. It can reach up to four centimeters in size. It inhabits many territories, but is mainly found in steppes and forest-steppes. The appearance has one distinctive feature - a small “cap” on the cephalothorax.
Virulence
The powerful chelicerae of tarantulas look intimidating due to the fact that the spider needs to pierce the hard shells of beetles with them. The poison is designed for small insects. Therefore, Lycosa singoriensis easily pierces human skin, but cannot cause serious harm. The consequences of an attack by a South Russian tarantula feel similar to a bee or wasp sting:
- sharp pain at the time of the bite;
- local swelling;
- nagging pain at the site of the spider bite.
Sometimes the skin turns yellow. Yellowness lasts about 2 months.
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.
The danger of a tarantula bite
All tarantulas are poisonous, but the perceived danger of a bite depends on the individual characteristics of the spider. These features include the age of the arthropod, gender (females are much more aggressive, but their toxicity is lower than that of males), season and a number of other factors. For example, at the beginning of their activity, after winter, spiders are not particularly aggressive.
Note! In the last month of spring, the period of females laying eggs begins. The activity of tarantulas increases, the toxicity of their toxic substance increases by more than 2 times. In June, the mating period begins, so toxicity increases another 3 times. With the onset of autumn, before the start of winter, the toxicity of the poison is reduced.
The habitats of tarantulas in Russia are the south of Siberia, as well as the steppe area south of Saratov, Tambov, and Orel. The South Russian tarantula is also found in Belarus and Ukraine. Its bites cause unpleasant symptoms in humans, but toxic substances penetrating through damaged skin are not life-threatening. Tarantula bites are dangerous for people suffering from allergic reactions.
In appearance, a tarantula bite resembles a hornet or wasp bite. At the site of the bite, small dots are marked, located at a distance of 0.3-1.5 cm from each other. These are traces of spider chelicerae.
Tarantula as a pet
The tarantula is a wonderful pet . The spider does not ask for a lot of food, is quite unpretentious to living conditions, is relatively safe (poisonous, but calm and flexible) and interesting. They are also very beautiful, for example, the black Brazilian version. In general, these creatures are very popular, many people buy American spiders, and some get by with South Russian ones.
When choosing a spider, you should give preference to females , as they can live much longer.
