This afternoon I took a quick hike on the Shoreline Trial across from the Hogle Zoo and came across a wonderful Halloween time treat. Coming down the center of the trail was a Tarantula! I've had never seen one in the wild and how fitting is it that I see one to kick off the Halloween week. Here are some cool facts about Tarantulas from kidszone....
- Tarantulas are part of the family of spiders called Hairy Mygalomorphs.
- These are the spiders that, scientists believe, have been around for millions of years and have not changed much in that time!
- There are around 700 kinds, or species, of Tarantulas.
- Tarantulas are nighttime hunters who will pounce on their prey. They eat insects, beetles and grasshoppers.
- Many Tarantulas live in burrows underground. They will either use their fangs to dig them or else take someone else’s burrow-home.
- All Tarantulas have an interesting way of defending themselves. They have hairs on their abdomen (stomachs) that have sharp little barbs, or pokey things, on them. When threatened, the spider will rub these hairs with their legs and shoot them at their predator.
- Not only are they caught as pets; in some countries they are eaten, as well. They are said to have a nutty taste kind of like peanut butter!
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