Tarantula
Arthropods
Some Endangered
facts
Tarantulas also eat other spiders, small lizards, snakes, and frogs.
description
Meet a tarantula
They're big and hairy, but are tarantulas scary? Not when you get to know them! Tarantulas live in warm areas around the world. While most tarantulas live in South America, they can be found on all continents except Antarctica.
A cozy home
Some live in underground burrows in well-drained soil. If the soil is just right, the spider digs a deep burrow and lines it with silk webbing. Other tarantulas live on the ground under rocks or logs or the shed bark of trees, and still others live in webbed burrows in trees.
Skilled hunters
Tarantulas are nocturnal hunters that wait for their prey to come close enough to grab. They kill their prey with a bite from their fangs. The fangs release venom that kills their victim. They can also crush their prey using their powerful mouthparts.
Threats they face
Although spiders are fearsome predators, other animals often eat them. Tarantulas have many natural enemies, including lizards, snakes, spider-eating birds, and even wasps. Though people are often afraid of tarantula bites, most species' venom is only as strong as a bee's. And remember, a tarantula would rather hide from you than bite you.
