More than 220 different types spiders belong to the genus of tarantulas. The most common species is the Apulian tarantula. The family is called wolf spiders.
Where do they meet?
Habitat - Southern Europe with temperate tropical climate. Some species can also be found in Russia. Spiders live in burrows. In cold weather, the entrance to it is covered with dry leaves glued together with cobwebs.
Tarantulas are predators; they emerge from their burrows to hunt for prey in the evening or at night. During the hunt, they behave very carefully, approaching the future victim slowly with frequent stops and then quickly, unexpectedly jumping and biting. Until the poison takes effect, they continue to pursue her. They very carefully protect their territory near the hole from strangers. They only leave her when mating season.
Description
The Apulian tarantula (photo below) grows up to 7 cm in length. The body is brown-gray, covered with white fluffy hairs.
The whole body is lined, as it were, with transverse and longitudinal stripes of light and dark shades. The paw span reaches 30 cm. The tarantula has the ability to regenerate limbs. During molting, a new paw grows in place of the torn paw, which increases in size with each molt and acquires the desired size. The spider has very interesting and unusual three rows of shiny eyes on its head. Four small balls are located in the lowest row, on top of which there are two large eyes and another pair located on the sides. Thanks to its developed visual organs, the tarantula closely monitors what is happening around it. Distinguishes the silhouettes of insects, as well as shadow and light. Spiders have excellent hearing. Female tarantulas are larger than males, their weight can reach 90 g.
Nutrition
The Apulian tarantula spider eats:
- small frogs;
- crickets;
- ground beetles;
- cockroaches;
- caterpillars;
- Zhukov;
- mosquitoes;
- spiders of other species.
Reproduction
Females live about 4 years, males - up to 2. In spring, females emerge from their burrows and bask in the sun. They can travel long distances in search of a mate. They court the female they like for a short time. They mate at the end of summer once in their entire lives; the males die immediately, as the female bites her lover after fertilization. Lays eggs in a hole. Females carry them on themselves in a web cocoon, carefully caring for future offspring. After maturation, young spiders crawl out of the cocoon and live on the female’s belly for some time. As they grow up, the spiders become independent and move away from her. Sometimes the mother provokes the younger generation to go out earlier. adult life. She comes out of the hole and, spinning, throws the spiderlings off her body. The young look for a new home and dig a hole for themselves, the size of which will increase as the spider grows.
Tarantula bite
The Apulian tarantula does not attack a person without reason. If he is disturbed, he takes a threatening pose: he stands on his hind legs, raises his front legs and then attacks and bites, releasing the toxin. The bitten area can be burned with a match or cigarette to prevent the poison from decomposing. For prevention purposes, antiallergic drugs are taken. Oddly enough, the best antidote is the blood of a tarantula. After killing the spider, they smear the affected area with its blood, thereby neutralizing the effect of the toxin. Tarantula venom is low-toxic; swelling forms at the site of the bite, which is very painful, and an increase in body temperature is also possible.
Breeding tarantulas at home
These insects are kept in apartments, despite their painful bites and quick reactions.
Therefore, when keeping spiders, you should be careful, collected, careful and attentive. Only one tarantula is placed in the terrarium, since when living together with their brothers, they constantly fight to the bitter end, figuring out who is stronger. The area of the home should be spacious. The bottom of the terrarium is covered with a substrate, which includes moistened:
- peat;
- black soil;
- humus;
- Earth;
- clay;
- sand.
The insect is given the opportunity to dig a hole, so the thickness of the soil is made at least 20-30 cm. The terrarium should always be kept closed so that the tarantula cannot get out. The home is cleaned at least once every 40-45 days. TO temperature conditions The Apulian tarantula is not particularly whimsical and feels good at a temperature of 18-30 degrees. To maintain humidity, you can place a container of water at the bottom of the terrarium.
Food for spiders is bought in specialized stores; they prefer:
- crickets;
- Argentine, Turkmen;
- mealworm;
- Zophobas larvae;
- pieces of lean beef.
Vitamins and calcium gluconate are added to food at least once a month.
In captivity, the Apulian tarantula spider (the description and content of which is presented above) lives twice as long. Its lifespan depends on the number of molts and nutrition. The better the tarantula feeds, the more often it sheds and, therefore, lives less. For a spider's longevity, it must be kept from hand to mouth.
In the 15th century, there was a belief that the bite of the Apulian tarantula was dangerous and caused especially dangerous disease. He was considered the culprit of the epidemics that were widespread at that time in the vicinity of Taranto in Italy.
The bites were treated in a very unusual way. The victim was forced to dance until he lost consciousness. After such dancing, the person instantly fell asleep and woke up completely healthy.
Tarantulas do not weave webs, but only use webs to strengthen their homes.
Tarantulas are poisonous spiders with various patterns on the body. Almost all tarantulas are hairy. They feed on insects and hunt at night. To the question “How many eyes does a tarantula have?” you can answer this way: there are 8 of them - two main ones big eyes, and the rest are auxiliary. Almost all types of tarantulas live in countries with a tropical climate and we could only see them in zoo terrariums. But we can also meet some representatives in the CIS countries, for example, such a spider as the South Russian tarantula. You need to know at least a short description of tarantulas in order to protect yourself and your loved ones and know what to do if you are bitten by a tarantula. This article presents the most famous species.
South Russian tarantula - Lycosa singoriensis
The South Russian tarantula has a body 2.5-3 cm long, densely covered with hairs. The spider is almost entirely black on the underside, and brownish-red on top. It can live in steppe, forest-steppe and desert zones. Distributed in Central Asia, in Russia and Ukraine (covers the Crimean Peninsula). These tarantulas were also spotted in Belarus. These spiders live in earthen burrows (30-40 cm). At night they go hunting. This tarantula is capable of jumping up to 20 cm in length. They feed on insects (crickets, grasshoppers, etc.). At the end of summer, spiders mate. The male actively moves his front legs and vibrates his abdomen, thus attracting the female. After mating, the male must immediately leave, as the excited female may eat him. After some time, the female tarantula makes a cocoon from the web, where she lays her eggs. She attaches the cocoon to the top of her abdomen and reliably protects it. After the spiderlings are born (about 50 individuals), they climb back onto the spider and sit on it for some time. But soon they leave the mother’s body and begin an independent life. The South Russian tarantula lives for about 2 years, and in captivity no more than 1 year. The tarantula's bite is not very toxic. The bite site swells, becomes yellowish in color, and a burning sensation occurs.
White tarantula
Here is a short description of the white tarantula. Its body is the size of a coin (2-3 cm). Cephalothorax white, abdomen and other parts of the body are dark brown in color. The white tarantula does not yet have a binomial name, as it was discovered quite recently. It was found in 2011 in Western Australia. Scientists are researching this species, but for now we only know what a tarantula looks like. For now, this is all that can be said about the tarantula.
Blue Tarantula - Haplopelma lividum
The blue tarantula reaches 15 cm in length, ranging from light blue to dark blue, with a purple tint. It is found in Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam. Despite its bright color, the blue tarantula lives in an earthen hole. Feeds large insects, hunts them in the evening or catches those running past the hole. The blue tarantula reaches sexual maturity in one year, and females in the second year of life. It is not difficult to keep this spider at home. Required temperature 22-24° C, humidity environment 80-85%. It is necessary to pour 6-8 cm of substrate into a terrarium or aquarium. The blue tarantula is poisonous, but its poison is not fatal. A person bitten by it experiences burning pain at the site of the bite, and the area becomes swollen and inflamed. But after some time these symptoms disappear. It is recommended to pick it up only for people experienced in this matter, since the blue tarantula is quite aggressive and fast.
Apulian tarantula - Lycosa tarantula
This tarantula reaches 7 cm in length. The body is gray-brown, covered with white hairs. There are many light and dark, longitudinal and transverse stripes on the body. Live in Southern Europe: Portugal, Spain, Italy. The Apulian tarantula lives in burrows up to 60 cm deep. It emerges from the burrow in the evening and hunts insects. In winter, the Apulian tarantula closes the entrance to its burrow with dry leaves fastened with cobwebs. Females of this species live up to 4 years, and males up to 2 years and mate once. Females lay eggs in a web cocoon and wear it on themselves. After some time, the spiderlings emerge from the cocoon and are not yet for a long time are located on the mother's abdomen. Tarantula venom is not very toxic, but causes painful swelling in humans at the site of the bite.
Photo of a Puglian tarantula
Black tarantula - Grammostola pulchra
The description is as follows: this tarantula tarantula is 6-7 cm in size, black in color and densely covered with hairs. Lives in Brazil. Prefers a fairly humid environment (about 60-70 mm per month) and a temperature of 18-25 C°. When it comes cold period The black tarantula digs a hole in the ground, where it spends the winter. What is a pet tarantula like? great option, since he is quite calm and not fast. Moreover, this is a long-lived spider, it lives up to 20 years. Due to their slow development, black tarantulas become adults at 6-7 years of age. They feed on insects. This spider is kept in terrariums filled with substrate with different shelters and recesses. Their mating is peaceful and calm. After mating, the female lays eggs in a web cocoon, where there are about 100 spider embryos. The spider guards the cocoon and carries it with her. The black tarantula is not dangerous, it is quite calm, but if handled incorrectly, it can bite. The symptoms of its bite are similar to those of a bee or hornet sting.
King Baboon Tarantula
This is the most big spider tarantula, its body length reaches 23 cm. The king baboon tarantula is light red to dark brown in color. The body is covered with short hairs. He has very strong and large legs, especially hind leg(8 is how many legs tarantulas have). Thanks to this, he takes a stance, warning his enemy of the attack. At the same time, he rubs his paws and makes a characteristic sound. Lives in eastern Africa, Kenya, Tanzania. The king baboon feeds on large insects, lizards, and small birds. Many lovers of exotic spiders want to have such a handsome spider in their home, but the question arises: is it dangerous? The king baboon is quite aggressive and fast, his character is unpredictable. If something goes wrong, he can easily bite you. So beginners in this business should be careful. Its venom is not fatal to humans, but causes pain, burning and swelling at the site of the bite. It also has large and sharp chelicerae (jaws) with which it pierces the skin.
As you can see, a tarantula bite is not fatal to humans, but quite painful. Therefore, with peaceful and correct coexistence with him in your home, you will only receive pleasure from contemplating these beautiful creatures. Caring for them does not require much effort. The main thing is to adhere to the temperature and humidity in which this or that species is used to being.
You already understand what to feed the tarantula. The above species have the same tastes - these are live insects. But how much a tarantula costs depends on the species: the more exotic the tarantula, the higher its price.
Don't be afraid to have tarantulas in your home, it's an amazing experience. But at the same time, do not forget about the characteristics of your pet and be careful.
Among the representatives of the wolf spider family there are really interesting specimens, for example, tarantulas - large poisonous araneomorphic spiders that became famous during the Middle Ages. The genus of tarantulas includes 220 species, of which the most famous are considered South Russian tarantula, living in Russia and Ukraine and the Apulian tarantula, originally from the Italian city of Taranto, which gave common name to all representatives of the genus.
South Russian Tarantula or Mizgir.
Tarantula Apulian (female). 
South Russian Tarantula or Mizgir. 
Tarantula Lycosa aragogi, endemic to Iran. 
Contrary to popular belief, a tarantula bite is not dangerous to humans, causes only slight swelling and resembles a wasp sting. But in the middle of the 15th century they did not think so and attributed terrible misfortunes to large spiders living in the vicinity of Taranto. It was believed that a person bitten by a tarantula would inevitably go crazy and end his life in terrible agony, so people invented the same ridiculous antidote for a spider bite. According to the authoritative opinion of healers of those times, only crazy dancing to the point of exhaustion can save a person from death, and interestingly, this is how the world came to know the tarantella - one of the most famous Italian folk dances.
What does a tarantula look like?
In the photo, the tarantula strongly resembles a tarantula spider, but the latter is a mygalomorphic spider and is particularly large in size.
Tarantulas - pretty big spiders, growing up to 10 cm in length with a body weight of about 90 g. The size of the legendary Apulian tarantulas usually does not exceed 7 cm, southern Russian relatives are much smaller and grow up to 2.5 - 3.5 cm. Females of any species are larger than males.
The fluffy body of the tarantula is formed by two sections: the cephalothorax and abdomen, connected by a thin hollow bridge - a stalk. Top part The body is covered with a dense chitinous shell, the stomach remains defenseless. There are 4 pairs of eyes on the head, allowing one to see the blurry outlines of prey at a distance of 20 - 30 cm.
The long legs of predators are densely strewn with sensitive hairs, which play an important tactile role in searching for prey and protect the spider from natural enemies. When in contact with human skin, the hairs can cause an allergic reaction.
South Russian tarantula or Mizgir: close-up view of the muzzle. 
South Russian Tarantula or Mizgir: macro photography. 
South Russian tarantula or Mizgir: macro photography. 
The protective coloration allows tarantulas to successfully camouflage themselves against the background of the surrounding landscape. Apulian tarantulas are painted in dark colors with a light edging; the abdomen of females is red, decorated with one longitudinal and several transverse ones. black and white stripes. You can recognize the South Russian tarantula in the photo by its black belly and brown-red top.
Habitat and lifestyle
Tarantulas are typical inhabitants of deserts, semi-deserts and arid steppe regions of Eurasia, Central and South America, North Africa, Australia.
These nocturnal predators during the day prefer to hole up in burrows up to 60 cm deep, camouflaged by fallen leaves. Tarantulas do not build trapping nets, but use cobwebs to frame the walls of the burrow, and females weave a cocoon from threads to bear offspring.
Tarantula hole, steppe of Kherson region. 
With the onset of darkness, tarantulas go out hunting, lying in wait for prey right in their hiding place or wandering around the surrounding area. The tarantula's hunting method is characteristic of most wolf spiders: the predator pounces on prey, paralyzing or killing it with its poison, and then sucks out the contents.
Tarantula hunting without leaving its hole. Uzbekistan - 04/05/2008. 
The basis of the diet of tarantulas consists mainly of insects and their larvae: flies, cockroaches, crickets, beetles, as well as smaller representatives of their own order. Enlarged photos of tarantulas eating their prey are quite impressive.
Meadow moth in the arms of the South Russian tarantula. 
Reproduction
The mating season of these spiders occurs at the end of summer - beginning of autumn. The male, having noticed the female, begins a kind of dance, invitingly shaking and tapping his especially developed forelimbs. The female responds something similar and folds her front legs, which becomes a signal for the male to mate. Upon completion of the process, the male hurries to retreat, and the fertilized female hibernates in a tightly sealed burrow.
The tarantula is definitely not the most pleasant representative of the animal world, given that, in addition to its peculiar appearance he is also poisonous insects. The name of this spider, “tarantula,” came to us from Renaissance Italy. In those distant times, there were many of these spiders in the cities of Italy and, as a result, many people were bitten by them. Because of the bite, the unfortunate people suffered from convulsive seizures; of course, these conditions could have been caused by other reasons, but then they were associated specifically with spider bites. A greatest number There were people bitten in the Italian city of Taranto, which gave the name to this spider - tarantula.
An interesting fact: to cure the consequences of a bite from this spider, medieval doctors prescribed dancing until you drop a special dance - the tarantella, which, by its name and history of origin, is also directly connected with the city of Taranto, and with the hero of our today's publication - the tarantula spider.
Tarantula: description, structure, characteristics. What does a tarantula look like?
The tarantula belongs to the phylum of arthropods, the class of arachnids, the order of spiders, the family of spiders, and the genus of tarantulas proper. Like many arthropods, the body of the tarantula is covered with small hairs. In general, the tarantula’s body structure has two main parts: the cephalothorax and abdomen.
At the top of the tarantula's head there are as many as eight eyes, with 4 of them located in a straight line, and the remaining eyes bigger size arranged in the form of a trapezoid. Thanks to this arrangement of the eyes, tarantulas have a viewing angle of 360 degrees. Also besides excellent developed vision These spiders also have an excellent sense of smell, with which they can sense potential prey at a considerable distance (for these insects).
The size of the tarantula varies from 2.5 to 10 cm. The span of the legs of this spider can reach 30 cm. Like many insects in the world, female tarantulas are usually several times larger than males.
Throughout their lives, tarantulas change the peculiar chitinous “armor” that covers their body several times. The tarantula also has four pairs of long, hairy legs, allowing the spider to move comfortably across loose or even water surfaces.
The mandibles of the tarantula are covered with poisonous canals, they are very strong and serve the spider as a means of defense and attack.
The color of the tarantula is usually brown, gray or black. Although sometimes there are representatives of these spiders that have lighter colors.
What is the difference between a tarantula and a tarantula?
Tarantulas are often confused with the tarantula spider, so to put an end to this, here are the differences between them:
- Tarantulas differ from tarantulas in the structure of their chelicerae. In tarantulas they move in a parallel direction, in tarantulas in a medal direction towards each other.
- Also, these spiders belong to different families, tarantulas belong to the family of wolf spiders, tarantulas belong to the family of tarantulas.
Where does the tarantula live?
Tarantula spiders live across a wide geographic range: Eurasia (but only its southern part), North Africa, both Americas, Australia. Steppe, forest-steppe, desert and semi-desert are chosen as places of residence. climatic zones. Since they love warmth, they are not found in cold northern latitudes.
Tarantula lifestyle
Tarantulas lead single night look life, associate with members of the opposite sex exclusively during the breeding season. All male tarantulas, without exception, are at enmity with each other.
During the day, these spiders hide in deep, vertical holes, and at night they go out hunting.
What do tarantulas eat?
As you probably already guessed, tarantulas are notorious predators, their food consists of numerous small insects and amphibians: caterpillars, mole crickets, beetles, cockroaches, small frogs, etc. Tarantulas guard their prey from a hiding place, and then quickly attack. Having attacked, they paralyze the prey with their poison, which subsequently turns its insides into a nutritious liquid, then the tarantula sucks it out like a “cocktail”.
The process of absorption of food by a tarantula can last several days, but in general they are not very voracious and can do without food for a long time, as long as they have access to water.
How long do tarantulas live?
The lifespan of tarantulas depends on their species, and among them there are truly long-livers, for example, a tarantula of the Aphonopelma species can live up to 30 years, which is a lot for an insect. Other tarantulas live shorter lives, on average 5-10 years. Moreover, the life expectancy of female tarantulas is usually longer than that of males.
Types of tarantulas, photos and names
There are about 200 species of tarantulas, but we will describe the most interesting of them.
He is a real tarantula, lives in the south of Europe, including Italy (most likely it was he who gave the name to the entire species of these spiders) and also in North Africa. It is approximately 7 cm in length. Also, unlike other species of tarantula, it does not spin webs.
South Russian tarantula or Mizgir
As the name suggests, this tarantula lives in the south of Russia, Belarus, as well as our country Ukraine, in the countries of Central Asia. This species of tarantula is small, rarely exceeding 35 mm in size. Characteristic feature This type of tarantula is characterized by the presence of a special dark cap. With the onset of cold weather, these tarantulas burrow deep into their burrows, where they successfully winter, and with the onset of spring they come to the surface.
This tarantula also lives in southern Europe, particularly Spain, Italy, Portugal, and North Africa. It was once considered a subspecies of the Apulian tarantula, but was later classified as a separate species.
This dark brown species of tarantula lives in tropical forests South America, Brazil, Paraguay, found in many other South American countries. Characteristic difference This tarantula is distinguished by the presence on its head of a light longitudinal stripe of a yellowish tint.
Reproduction of tarantulas
The mating season for many species of tarantulas occurs in late summer. A sexually mature male weaves a web, then begins to rub his abdomen against it. As a result of this, he ejaculates seminal fluid, which ends up on the web. The male then plunges his pedipalps into it, which absorb it and become ready for fertilization.
And only then does the search for the female begin. Having found his “lady,” the male begins courtship, which includes performing a kind of courtship dance. If the female reciprocates the “gentleman’s feelings,” he plunges his pedipalps into her cloaca and fertilizes her. Then it is very advisable for the male to quickly leave his “lady” so as not to become dinner for her, as happens with some other insects.
The eggs mature within 40-50 days, and small tarantulas hatch from them, which begin to grow rapidly, and by 2-3 years have already reached sexual maturity.
Tarantula bite and the effect of poison on humans. Is the tarantula dangerous?
The tarantula itself is unlikely to attack a person. But he can be forced to do this by the actions of the person himself, for example, if he accidentally touches a spider, the latter may bite in self-defense.
Tarantula bite for healthy person is not dangerous, except for children and people with allergic reactions, in such cases it is imperative to seek professional medical help.
Symptoms of a tarantula bite and their consequences may look like this:
- local pain at the site of the bite, redness and swelling.
- drowsiness, lethargy, general poor health.
- a sharp but short-term increase in temperature.
- in some cases there may be nausea and vomiting.
First aid for a tarantula bite
First of all, you need to wash the wound with antibacterial soap and treat it with an antiseptic. Then cool the bite area with an ice pack and take an antihistamine. Drink plenty of liquids, but never alcohol, and of course seek professional medical help.
Homemade tarantula - care and maintenance. What to feed a tarantula at home?
IN Lately Some exotic pet lovers keep pet tarantulas. And why not, because they are quite easy to keep and can live in an aquarium or terrarium. At the bottom of the container it is necessary to pour a substrate consisting of a mixture of sand, clay and earth. Also, the tarantula terrarium should be equipped with an automatic drinker with fresh water and a shallow pool.
The optimal temperature for keeping these spiders should be 25-27 C. You can feed tarantulas with small pieces of fresh beef, as well as live cockroaches and frogs, if, of course, you can catch them. But fortunately, you don’t need to feed them often, so for an adult healthy tarantula it will be normal to eat once a week.
It is also important to remember that only one tarantula can be kept in a terrarium; if there are two of them, then as a result of constant skirmishes only one, the strongest, will survive.
- The blood of a tarantula, oddly enough, is the best antidote to its own poison, so to neutralize the effect of the toxin, you can smear the wound with the blood of a crushed spider.
- Tarantulas are capable of regenerating lost limbs, so if a paw is torn off, then over a period of time a new one will grow in its place, although it will be slightly smaller in size.
- During the mating season, male tarantulas can move considerable distances in search of females.
Tarantula, video
And in conclusion, we invite you to watch an interesting documentary about tarantulas - “Tarantula - Australia's King of Spiders.”
There are 220 species of spiders belonging to the genus Tarantula. More often than others in different parts In light, the Apulian tarantula (Lycosa tarantula) can be detected. The southern Russian tarantula (Lycosa singoriensis), also called Mizgir, lives on the territory of the former Soviet republics. His trademark is a dark spot similar to a skullcap.
Description of the tarantula
The tarantula is part of the wolf spider family, although they are constantly trying to mate it with tarantula spiders(lat. theraphosidae). Tarantulas differ from the latter in the direction of movement of the jaws.
Chelicerae (due to poisonous ducts on their jagged tops) perform two functions - an oral appendage and an attack/defense weapon.
The most attractive thing about the tarantula’s appearance is its 3 rows of shiny eyes: the first (bottom) row consists of four tiny “beads”, 2 larger eyes are “mounted” on top of them, and, finally, another pair is placed on the sides.
Eight spider “eyepieces” vigilantly monitor what is happening, distinguishing light and shadow, as well as the silhouettes of familiar insects at an interval of up to 30 cm. The spider boasts excellent hearing - it can hear human steps from 15 km away.
The tarantula grows, depending on the variety, up to 2.5 – 10 cm (with a limb span of 30 centimeters).
This is interesting! The tarantula can regenerate lost limbs. When shedding, he begins to grow a new paw (to replace the one that was torn off). It grows larger with each molt until it reaches its natural size.
Females are larger than their partners, often gaining a record weight of 90 grams.
The color of the spider may vary and depends on the area. Thus, the South Russian tarantula usually displays a brown, slightly reddish or sandy-gray color with black spots.
Range, habitats
The South Russian tarantula is the most impressive spider that lives in the vast territory of the former Soviet Union. Lycosa singoriensis lives in the Caucasus, Central Asia, Ukraine and Belarus (where it was spotted in the floodplains of the Sozh, Dnieper and Pripyat rivers in 2008).
In our country, it is distributed almost everywhere: residents of the Tambov, Oryol, Nizhny Novgorod, Saratov, Belgorod, Kursk and Lipetsk regions find it in their garden beds.
IN large quantities the spider is found in the Astrakhan and Volgograd regions (especially near the Volga), as well as in Stavropol region. The tarantula has long been “registered” in Crimea, after which it managed to crawl to Bashkiria, Siberia and even to the Trans-Baikal Territory.
The South Russian tarantula loves arid climates, often settling in steppe, semi-desert and desert zones (with access to natural bodies of water). Villagers encounter a spider in the fields, garden plots, vegetable gardens (during potato harvest) and on hillsides.
Spider Lifestyle
The South Russian tarantula is a hunter sitting in ambush, which becomes a hole dug 50-60 cm deep. The spider learns about what is happening above by the vibrations of the web: with it it prudently weaves around the walls of its shelter.
The signal to jump is also the shadow of an insect blocking the light. The tarantula is not a supporter of walks and takes them out of necessity, leaving the hole in search of prey after dark. When hunting at night, he is extremely careful and does not go far from his burrow.
It approaches the victim slowly, with stops. Then suddenly he jumps and bites. In anticipation of the killing effect of the toxin, it can relentlessly follow the insect, biting it and jumping away until the sufferer breathes his last breath.
The objects of attack of our tarantula are:
- caterpillars;
- crickets and beetles;
- cockroaches;
- mole crickets;
- ground beetles;
- spiders of other species;
- flies and other insects;
- small frogs.
Male tarantulas fight with each other, regardless of the seasons, and rest from civil strife only during hibernation.
Reproduction of tarantulas
South Russian tarantulas mate at the end of summer, after which the partners usually die, and the partners prepare for the winter. With the first cold weather, the spider walls up the entrance with earth and crawls to the bottom, away from the frost.
In spring, the female comes to the surface to warm herself under sun rays, and returns to the burrow to lay eggs. She carries the cocoon in which the eggs are woven with her, showing tireless care for its safety.
Getting out of the cocoon, the spiderlings cling to the mother (her abdomen and cephalothorax), who continues to protect the offspring for some time, keeping them with her.
Gaining independence, the spiders leave their mother. Often it speeds up their exit into great life, for which it circles around the hole, throwing the babies off the body with its hind legs.
This is how tarantulas continue their lineage. Young spiders find a new place to live and begin to dig holes, the depth of which will increase as the tarantula grows.
Tarantula bite
The tarantula is quite gentle and does not attack a person without a good reason, including deliberate provocation or accidental contact.
A disturbed spider will announce the start of an attack with a threatening pose: it will stand up on its hind legs, raising its front legs up. When you see this picture, be prepared for an attack and a bite similar to a bee or hornet sting.
The toxin of the South Russian tarantula is not fatal, but a shallow bite is accompanied by severe pain, swelling, and, less often, nausea and dizziness.
The bite site is burned with a cigarette or match so that the toxin decomposes. Taking antihistamines will not hurt.
This is interesting! The best antidote for a tarantula is its blood, so you can neutralize the poison by smearing the affected area with the blood of a killed spider.
Tarantulas, including South Russian ones, are often kept at home: they are funny and unassuming creatures. You just have to remember that these spiders have a good reaction and a painful bite, so when handling them you need attention and composure.
Based on observations, the South Russian tarantula, defending its lair, jumps up 10-15 centimeters. By general conditions The contents of tarantulas differ little from the burrowing varieties of tarantulas.
An immutable rule that a newly-made tarantula owner must follow is that a single spider is housed in one terrarium. Otherwise, the residents will constantly find out which of them is stronger. Sooner or later, one of the fighters will be carried away from the battlefield lifeless.
It was noted that in natural environment The tarantula lives for two years, and in captivity it can live twice as long.
This is interesting! It is known that the longevity of a tarantula is determined by its diet and the number of moults. A well-fed spider molts more often, which shortens its lifespan. If you want your pet to live a long time, keep it from hand to mouth.
Arachnarius
Instead, a terrarium or an aquarium with a lid with holes for air would also be a suitable apartment for the tarantula.
Please note that the area of the container for an adult spider is much more important than its height. The diameter of a round aquarium should be equal to 3 paw spans; for a rectangular aquarium, both the length and width should be 2-3 times the paw span.
Priming
These spiders have strong jaws that not only excel at loosening compacted soil, but also chew aluminum and hard polymers.
The spider must be able to dig a hole, so the bottom of the arachnaria (terrarium) is covered with clay and sand to obtain a layer of 15-30 cm. The following can also act as a substrate:
- coconut fiber;
- peat and humus;
- chernozem with vermiculite;
- Earth.
All these components must be moistened (in moderation!). Before moving the tarantula, make sure that there are no traumatic objects in its future housing (if you decorated the terrarium for aesthetic purposes).
The Arachnarium is not left open: along the corner, entwined with cobwebs, your pet can easily get out of his castle.
Cleaning
It is arranged every month and a half, cleaning the hole from the waste of your spider or pruning the plants (if any).
Since the tarantula does not often leave the hole, you will have to lure it out with a ball of plasticine, soft chewing gum, resin or warm wax. If you don’t get a reaction to the ball, you’ll dig up the spider.
At home, the periods of spider activity are the same as in wildlife: he is cheerful with early spring before the onset of cold weather. By winter, the spider deepens the burrow and “seals” the entrance.
The optimal temperature is in the range from +18 to +30° Celsius. Tarantulas are no strangers to natural temperature fluctuations: spiders can quickly adapt to them.
Spiders extract moisture from their victims, but the water must be somewhere nearby. You need to install a drinker in the terrarium and maintain the required level of humidity.
It is possible that the spider will try to use the drinking bowl, if it is spacious, as a personal pool.
The South Russian tarantula will be grateful for the snag installed in its home (where it will periodically crawl) and modest vegetation.
The illumination of the arachnaria is arranged at a distance from the spider's hole. It is necessary to change the water and irrigate the soil every morning before turning on the lamp.
Tarantulas do not need ultraviolet rays: take a regular incandescent lamp or fluorescent lamp(15 W). The pet will bask under its light, imagining that it is sunbathing in the sun.
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