Today we’re going to venture into the amazing world of tarantulas.  Do you get the heebie jeebies about spiders like I do? Spiders terrify me — all spiders except tarantulas. I have held them, fed them and watched them. Tarantulas are the largest spiders in the world, but they are not out to get you. In fact, they would rather stay away from us. There are over 1,000 different known species of tarantulas around the world. That’s a lot of fuzzy legs crawling around. Hold on tight as we explore the weird and wonderful world of this eight-legged creature.

First, know that tarantulas are not poisonous, they are venomous. Poison is what happens when you eat something, touch something or breathe something in. Venom is injected into you usually by fangs like a spider or snake, or a stinger like on a bee. The best way to remember the difference between venom and poison is, "If you bite it and you die, it's poison. If it bites you and you die, it's venom!" The good news is most tarantulas have venom that’s not dangerous to humans. It's like a bee sting, it’s going to hurt, but it’s not deadly. Some tarantulas, like the Indian Ornamental Tarantula, have stronger venom that can make you feel really sick if you are unlucky enough to get bitten. The best news is that no one has ever died from a tarantula bite.

Tarantulas live on six of the seven continents. You will not find any of these large spiders on Antarctica. The most tarantulas can be found in South America, especially in Brazil, Venezuela, and the Amazon Rainforest. They make their homes in trees, under logs, and in burrows under the ground. Most people don’t think of tarantulas as beautiful, but some of these spiders like the Brazilian pinkbloom tarantula definitely are. The pinkbloom is not the only pretty tarantula. Some think the sapphire gooty tarantula is the most beautiful. While the pinkbloom’s hair is actually pink the gooty’s hair is not blue at all. The gooty hair is made up of millions of teeny, tiny crystals, called nanocrystals.  These crystals reflect light and make them appear metallic blue.

Tarantulas don’t just come in a variety of colors but they also come in many sizes. Some of the smallest are less than two inches across and the largest is the goliath bird-eating tarantula from northern South America. The goliath does not normally eat birds even though they could. Who’s gonna stop them? This spider usually eats large insects, small rodents, and amphibians. As a special treat, it may eat a small snake or two. The largest goliath ever found had a body that was almost 5 inches long with a leg span that was 11 inches. Think about coming across a spider that is almost one foot across.

Tarantulas are ambush predators. That means they wait quietly in the shadows, then strike fast when their dinner walks by! Although they have eight eyes they don’t have the best eyesight, instead, they feel vibrations using tiny sensitive hairs called setae on their legs. When their prey gets close enough, the spider leaps out and uses its fangs to inject its venom. After a while, the venom will turn the prey’s insides to liquid and the spider enjoys a bug smoothie. Sounds gross, but the tarantula enjoys it. Flipping the script, in Cambodia, tarantulas are fried and eaten by humans. I’m not sure I could swallow that unless I was getting paid a lot of money.