Tarantulas: Myth Busting

Summary: There are so many myths about tarantulas that are untrue and perpetuate fear. Join Kiersten as she dispels some of these myths. 

 

For my hearing impaired listeners, a complete transcript of this podcast follows the show notes on Podbean.

 

Show Notes: https://tomsbigspiders.com/2015/08/15/the-best-and-most-ridiculous-tarantula-myths/

“The Natural History of Tarantula Spiders” by Richard C. Gallon https://www.thebts.co.uk/old_articles/natural.htm

 

 

Transcript

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Kiersten - This is Ten Things I Like About…a ten minute, ten episode podcast about unknown or misunderstood wildlife.

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Kiersten - Welcome to Ten Things I Like About… I’m Kiersten, your host, and this is a podcast about misunderstood or unknown creatures in nature. Some we’ll find right out side our doors and some are continents away but all are fascinating. 

This podcast will focus ten, ten minute episodes on different animals and their amazing characteristics. Please join me on this extraordinary journey, you won’t regret it.

This episode continues tarantulas and the ninth thing I like about this beautiful creature is myth busting. What exactly to I mean by that? This episode is all about putting an end to the incorrect myths about tarantulas.

Regrettably, tarantulas have been the subject of many a cheesy horror flick. Hollywood loves a good monster movie. I have to admit I have watched my fair share of them, but I do not have a fear of spiders so these movies have impacted my daily life very little. Since the fear of spiders is such a wide spread phobia, these movies have only perpetuated myths about these invertebrates, myths that are largely untrue. 

Myth number one: Tarantulas are aggressive to humans.

Those of you that have listened to my previous episode already know that this is false. We can blame this one on movies like Arachnophobia, Tarantula, and Earth vs. the Spider that keep this myth on everyone’s mind. Tarantulas are not aggressive, especially towards people. They see us as scary predators to avoid. Most likely when we encounter them they run away or hide. 

Myth number two: Tarantulas will chase you across the room. 

Tarantulas do not chase people. Tarantulas cannot run long distances, period, because of their physiology. To move their legs they rely on the pressure of the hemolymph in their bodies. This is reliant on the amount of moisture they have stored. They get moisture from the food they eat and from drinking water. When they move quickly they deplete the pressure. They must take breaks when moving quickly to recharge. They can run fast, when they need to, but only in short spurts.

If a tarantula seems to be chasing you or running toward you it’s because it’s the only way they can get to a safe hiding place. It is a defensive action to run at something larger than themselves, such as humans. They never aggressively run after humans. 

Myth number three: Tarantulas can jump 5, 6, 7, etc. feet in the air!

Completely false. Terrestrial tarantulas can leap on prey, but we’re talking about an inch. They are ambush predators meaning they sit and wait until prey is close enough for them to capture without a lot of expended energy. So when they pounce, it’s an inch or less. 

They are too heavy to jump feet into the air. If you have ever held a tarantula you can probably remember they felt much heavier that you expected.  They are just not equipped to get that bulky body leaping into the air. They are not jumping spiders.

If they actually leapt six feet into the air, when they landed they’d go splat. Tarantulas are actually pretty fragile and a drop of a few inches could kill them. It was one of the things I was most concerned about when we had our rose-haired tarantula. We housed her on a very sturdy piece of furniture because I knew if she ever fell she’d die. 

Now, arboreal tarantulas are capable of jumping from tree branch to tree branch, but it’s only a few inches. They are very careful when they do it, because if they fall from the tree they will not survive. Tarantulas cannot jump several feet into the air.

Myth number four: Tarantulas are poisonous. 

Once again false, but not too far off. Tarantulas are not poisonous because you can touch them and not get a toxin on you. Animals that are poisonous such as poison arrow dart frogs excrete a poison on their skin that can be spread by merely touching something. Tarantulas are venomous which means they must inject the poison in their bodies with something like fangs. And that’s exactly what tarantulas do, they inject venom into their prey with their fangs when they need to eat. So touching a tarantula will not make you sick or spread a toxin.

Myth number five: Tarantula bites will kill you!

False. No one has ever died from a tarantula bite. There are many cases of humans getting bitten by tarantulas but not one has ever died as a direct result of the venom from a tarantula bite. About 100 years ago there are records that two people died after being bitten by a tarantula but these deaths were a result of blood poisoning and gangrene. Both of these conditions are easily treated with modern medicine. 

Not to mention, we’ve been living with tarantulas around us for a very long time and no one has been fatally bitten by one yet. I think we’re fairly safe. You have a greater chance of getting struck by lightening than dying from a tarantula bite. 

Now I do have a friend that is allergic to spider bites, getting one usually results in blood poisoning so of course she is very careful when she is anywhere that spiders might be living, but she lives in an area that has many tarantulas and she still enjoys hiking and camping. Just be smart when you’re outside and you’ll be okay. And remember when we encounter a tarantula it will typically run away or hide. 

Myth number six: Tarantulas catch their prey with webs.

Tarantulas do not make elaborate webs in the air like some other species of spiders. We’re all used to seeing the webs made by garden spiders that are strung between tree branches. Tarantulas, even arboreal tarantulas, do not make webs like this. They do use silk to line their burrows and sometimes they trail silk outside the burrow entrance to alert them to when prey may be moving around outside, but they do not make webs to catch prey.

Myth number seven: Bird eating spiders eat birds! 

Those of you who have listened to my Species episode know that this is not entirely true. Bird-eating spiders are the largest species of tarantulas but they very rarely, if ever, eat birds. They are large enough to eat birds but they typically eat invertebrates and small mammals. It takes a lot of energy to catch birds and why bother when you can catch an insect fairly easily. 

This rumor started when European explorers saw tarantulas large enough to eat birds during their travels and came back telling stories of the gigantic bird-eating spiders.

 

We’ve covered seven myths about tarantulas and I hope it’s put you at ease. If you have anyone in your life afraid of tarantulas maybe this episode can help you help them get over their fears. Thanks for joining me for this myth busting episode because it’s my ninth favorite thing about tarantulas. 

If you're enjoying this podcast please recommend me to friends and family and take a moment to give me a rating on whatever platform your listening. It will help me reach more listeners and give the animals I talk about an even better chance at change. 

 

Join me next week for another thing I like about tarantulas!

 

(Piano Music plays) 

This has been an episode of Ten Things I like About with Kiersten and Company. Original music written and performed by Katherine Camp, piano extraordinaire.