Tarantula

Tarantulas
Brachypelma smithi
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Arachnida
Order:	Araneae
Suborder:	Mygalomorphae
Superfamily:	Theraphosoidea
Family:	Theraphosidae Thorell, 1870
Subfamilies
Acanthopelminae Aviculariinae Eumenophorinae Harpactirinae Ischnocolinae Ornithoctoninae Poecilotheriinae Selenocosmiinae Selenogyrinae Spelopelminae Stromatopelminae Theraphosinae Thrigmopoeinae
Diversity
113 genera, 897 species

Tarantula is the common name for a group of "hairy" and often very large spiders belonging to the family Theraphosidae, of which approximately 900 species have been found. Some tarantulas hunt prey in trees and some hunt on the ground. All tarantulas can make silk. They use silk to make shelters like tube tents in trees, to line burrows if they live on the ground, and they all use silk to wrap up prey before they eat it. It is easy to see a tarantula turning around and around in one spot with the prey in its mouth, but it is hard to see the silk coming out because it is small in diameter (thickness) and transparent. These spiders are found in warmer regions around the world. Tarantulas are eaten by big snakes and the Tarantula eating wasp. Defenses are camouflage and fangs.

References

• S. B. Reichling & R. C. West (1996). "A new genus and species of theraphosid spider from Belize (Araneae, Theraphosidae)". Journal of Arachnology 24: 254–261. http://www.americanarachnology.org/JoA_free/JoA_V24_n3/JoA_v24_p254.pdf.
• R. R. Raven (2005). "A new tarantula species from northern Australia (Araneae, Theraphosidae)". Zootaxa 1004: 15–28. http://www.mapress.com/zootaxa/2005f/zt01004p028.pdf.

Other websites

International Societies

• American Tarantula Society Headquarters
• The British Tarantula Society
• German Arachnologic Society
• The Australian Tarantula Association

American Societies

• SFBATS - San Francisco Bay Area Tarantula Society
• N-TEC · Nebraska Tarantula Enthusiasts Club
• MTTG · Middle Tennessee Tarantula Group

Other sites

• Tarantulas.us - Forums - Tarantula Discussion Boards and Caresheets.
• Arachnoboards - Arachnid discussion board
• Tarantula care - Gallery of tarantulas and other arachnids.
• Tarantulas.us - Gallery - Photo gallery of tarantula's species.
• How to Pick a tarantula and Care for a tarantula
• Birdspiders.com - Rick C. West's Site. Includes a gallery of tarantula pictures by species in alphabetical order.
• Caresheets of several tarantula species
• Information on tarantulas, scorpions, and other invertebrates
• Stanley A. Schultz and Marguerite J. Schultz, "Common and scientific name correlations of the theraphosid tarantulas", University of Calgary
• Tarantulas Photo Gallery Tarantula photos (Mexican Red Knee, Green Bottle Blue, Salmon Pink etc.)