A new exhibit at the Butterfly Pavilion
**Exhibit Extended to Jan. 23, 2011**

General

• Approximately 35,000 species of spiders exist with 800 to 900 placed in the family Theraphosidae as a ‘true’ tarantula.
• Some species of female tarantulas can live 20 years or more after they reach maturity, but males generally die within a year and a half after reaching maturity. Longevity depends, of course, on the species as well as habitat and diet.
• Tarantulas are the largest spiders in the world. The largest tarantula is the Goliath Birdeater, which can grow up to 12” wide.

Anatomy

• Tarantulas are invertebrates, an animal without a backbone. They are considered an arthropod, which is a type of invertebrate. Tarantulas are in the family arachnids with two body parts, eight legs, and an exoskeleton.
• Tarantulas have eight eyes on a small "bump" at the front of the body.
• Tarantulas periodically shed their external skeletons in a process called molting. Tarantulas can even regrow lost appendages during the molting process.
• A dangerous predator for the tarantula is the Tarantula Wasp because it paralyzes the tarantula and lays an egg sac inside the tarantula’s abdomen. Once the egg sac hatches, the wasp larvae eat the tarantula from the inside out.
• A tarantula's egg sac can contain 1 to 1000+ eggs.
• Tarantulas have an open circulatory system.

Diet

• Tarantulas are carnivores and feed on small to medium-sized invertebrates and vertebrates.
• Some species of tarantulas have known to eat small reptiles and mammals.
• Tarantulas cannot eat their prey whole, but rather secrete digestive enzymes to liquefy their victims' bodies so that they can suck them up through their straw-like mouth openings.

Behaviors

• Tarantulas are either terrestrial or arboreal. Arboreal means to live in trees.
• All tarantulas can produce silk, which they use to make egg sacs and to line their burrows.
• Male tarantulas can mature after 5 to 10 years and migrate in search of females.
• When feeling threatened, the Goliath Birdeater can make a loud hissing noise (called stridulation) by rubbing bristles on its legs together; it can be heard up to 15 feet away!

Habitats

• There are hundreds of tarantula species found in most of the world's tropical, subtropical, and arid regions.
• In North America, tarantulas are mostly found in the drier areas from Arkansas westward to California.

Cultural Significance

• Researchers have found that some of the properties of tarantula venom may hold uses in treating medical conditions such as heart arrhythmia, Parkinson’s, and Alzheimers Disease and may have agricultural uses in pesticide applications.
• Theraphosids are frequently referred to as "baboon spiders” in Africa, as "earth tigers" or "bird spiders” in Asia and as "barking spiders", "whistling spiders," or "bird spiders" in Australia.
• “Tarantula” comes from Taranto, Italy and was originally used for a species of European wolf spider.
• Some tarantula species are popular in the exotic pet trade, while others are eaten as food in different countries around the world.
• There are no recorded human deaths as a result of a tarantula bite.

Colorado Specific Facts

• Tarantulas can be found in southeast Colorado in dryer, warmer climates.

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