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Meet the AnimalsTarantulas At a certain point in the life of a male tarantula, usually somewhere between seven and ten years of age, he becomes sexually mature. This is a dangerous moment in his life, since with maturity comes the need to wander, to find a mate. Once this stage has been reached, whether he manages to mate or not, the male tarantula will most likely die soon after.
The males have specialized sense organs that can detect chemical signals in the silk females place around their burrows. When he finds the silk and knows a female is near, he will move near her burrow and send out calls while tapping out a rhythm on the ground with his legs. If the female is hungry, or uninterested in mating, she may come out of her burrow and eat the wandering male. Even if he succeeds in mating with her, she might eat him anyway. He is a fine source of protein with which she can nourish the eggs that will grow inside her. And since female tarantulas are larger and stronger than males, there's no way for her hopeful suitor to win the battle if his mate feels hungry. The burrowing desert tarantula is familiar to most of us, but it's not the only kind. In islands off the coasts of South America, and in other humid tropical forests, there are species of tarantula that are arboreal - they live in trees. These types of tarantulas can move with incredible swiftness, and are known for their ability to jump fast and far.
In their native habitats, tarantulas are quite common. Normally you never see them, since they are nocturnal animals. They tend to stay near their homes, except when that urge to mate overcomes them. Tarantulas are often kept as pets, by those who aren't too squeamish. They can live up to 30 years in the right circumstances, though they dry out easily and are sensitive to many chemicals. Even though these spiders can grow to more than six inches long, there's really no need to be afraid — unless you happen to be that wandering male tarantula, living on the edge.
Related links: Tarantula Photo Gallery American Tarantula Society National Geographic Society's Tarantulas Return to Meet the Animals |
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He stays on the move constantly, except in the worst heat of the day, wandering through his native desert in search of a female tarantula, who stays hidden in her burrow except when she dashes up to feed. In places where tarantulas are common, many males become mature at the same time, leading to the kind of massive tarantula migration some people think of as the pure stuff of nightmare.
The thought of quick, jumping tarantulas may give you the heebie-jeebies, but you should know that even though these spiders can deal a painful bite, their venom isn't usually harmful to humans. They are carnivorous animals, primarily eating insects though they will take frogs, lizards, or even small mammals if they can subdue them. They inject their prey with venom, which is actually a combination of several poisons and some digestive juices. The prey is pre-digested even before the spider sucks it down.
