Tarantula
Dugesiella hentzi
CLASS: Arthropoda
ORDER: Arachnida
FAMILY: Theraphosidae
SIZE: Females are 1 1/3 - 2 ¼ inches; males are 1 ¼ - 2 1/16 inches
RANGE: Southern Missouri and Kansas, south through Oklahoma, Arkansas and Louisiana
HABITAT: Makes burrows in natural cavities in the ground, old rodent burros, under stones or debris on the ground, in cracks of trees
DIET:
Wild - Insects, other spiders, larger species can eat lizards, snakes, toads, and birds
Zoo - crickets, sometimes pinky mice
DESCRIPTION:
Dark brown legs with reddish golden hairs on carapace, abdomen brownish black
Jaws move vertically up and down as opposed to more common side-to-side movement
Numerous short, kinked and barded hairs on abdomen which may cause itching
FACTS:
One of the largest and longest living of all land invertebrates
Life span of 30 years or more
Tarantulas mold throughout their lives
Poor eyesight; body hairs very sensitive to vibrations
Males die soon after mating and reach sexual maturity in 5-7 years
They build no webs; live in burrows and are passive hunters
Not seriously poisonous but can inflict a painful bite
In the U.S. the only serious natural enemy is a large wasp called the tarantula hawk
YOUNG:
Mating occurs in the fall and female produces an egg cocoon the following summer
800-850 eggs per egg sac are produced
After emerging from the sac the young will soon molt and then venture out on their own
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