Texas Brown Tarantula

Texas Brown Tarantula, Aphonopelma sp.

The tarantula of the family Theraphosidae is the heaviest spider by weight, but there have been no direct fatalities for this family of spiders. While containing sizable fangs, their main attack is through irritating, urticating hairs which are dislodged at the attacker. As they are easily kept in captivity, and are rather docile, tarantulas are becoming increasingly popular in the pet trade.

Eyes of the Texas Brown Tarantula

Texas brown tarantulas start migrating in late spring through mid-summer. During this time, males wander to find the females who stay in their den. Although they have eight eyes, they are all clustered together. Rather than be used to see distances, the eyes mainly help detect the difference between light and dark. Tarantulas are much more tactile using touch and chemical cues to move around. It is in part for this reason that, especially during migration, you may see many tarantulas, and they may not move out of the way.

My photo above was recently used alongside an intriguing story about a wayward tarantula in Nature in a New York Minute by Kelly Rypkema. I highly suggest you not only read the story, but explore the site as well for more information on wildlife in city of New York!

Relating to last week's post, hummingbird week has been postponed until next week!