Ten Things I Like About... Podcast

Tarantulas: Conservation

Summary:  Even tarantulas need a little love! Many species of tarantulas are disappearing and in this episode Kiersten talk about what’s happening and what we’re doing to help.
 
For my hearing impaired listeners, a complete transcript of this podcast follows the show notes on Podbean.
 
Show Notes: 
The Tarantula Scientist by Sy Montgomery
“Farewell to the World’s Smallest Tarantula?” By Jane Schneider https://www.nwf.org/Magazines/National-Wildlife/2017/Oct-Nov/Conservation/Spruce-Fir-Moss_Spider
“Beautiful Ornamental Tarantulas Win Global Protections from Pet Trade.” https://biologicaldiversity.org/w/news/press-releases/beautiful-ornamental-tarantulas-win-global-protections-pet-trade-2019-08-26/
 
Conservation Organizations to check out:
Butterfly Pavillion in Colorado - https://butterflies.org/spider-conservation-research/
 
Commission for Environmental Cooperation - www.cec.org
Tarantulas de Mexico - https://www.tarantulasdemexico.com
iNaturalist app can be downloaded from any app store
 
Transcript
(Piano music plays)
Kiersten - This is Ten Things I Like About…a ten minute, ten episode podcast about unknown or misunderstood wildlife.
(Piano music stops)
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 is the tenth and final episode of tarantulas and the tenth thing I like about these hairy beauties is the conservation efforts being done to ensure we never lose them.
Now it may not seem like tarantulas need conservation efforts but many of them are impacted by habitat loss, the pet trade, and souvenir trinkets. In this episode we’re going to take a look at some of these threats and what we’re doing to help.
When discussing any animal conservation issue, habitat loss is often one of the main problems. There are a lot of us creatures on this planet and we need to get much better at sharing it with all living things. One example of a tarantula impacted by habitat loss is the spruce-fir moss spider, the smallest tarantula in the world. This tiny BB-pellet sized tarantula is found in only a few isolated pockets of the Southern Appalachian mountains. They used to be commonly found all over Clingmans Dome, a mountain straddling North Carolina and Tennessee, but they have become more and more difficult to find. Biology Professor Kefyn Catley says in 1987 he could find them all over the rocks at Clingmans Dome but in 2017 they were none to be found.
These small tarantulas live at high elevations typically above 5300 feet above sea level in moss that clings to boulders. The moss grows in mats which creates a microclimate that provides warmth, moisture, and food that the tarantula needs to survive. If the moss dries out, the spider cannot survive. This is exactly what’s plaguing the spruce-moss tarantulas of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Invasive insects have invaded the park and are decimating the native trees that provide shade and moisture which keeps the moss growing. The loss of these trees has also increased the temperatures of this ecosystem. This is bad news for our little friend. 
The tarantulas are trying to find new habitat by moving to north-facing rocks that still harbor the moss mats they need, but these refuges are also quickly disappearing.  So what are we doing to help? First we’re still studying this little arachnid. Biologists from Western Carolina University and Great Smoky Mountain National Park forestry biologists are continuing their studies of this tarantula. We must know more about their natural history and their current population numbers if we are to help them survive. 
The second action we’ve taken is to add the spruce-moss tarantula to the Endangered Species List. In 1995, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service added this tarantula to the endangered species list making it only the third spider to be added to the list. Doing this provided scientists leverage to take steps toward protecting the habitat in which the tarantula lives. Once this was done, a third action was approved which was the targeted eradication of the invasive insect eating the trees in the park. Now, spraying insecticide around can impact more than just the insect you want to kill and the scientists knew this, so with the help of park services, they devised a plan that targeted the invasive insect with as little impact to others as possible. This is an ongoing project and I know I have my fingers crossed that the spruce-fir moss tarantula survives for years to come.
For those of us that are fans of the great outdoors, we know that habitat loss is something that is a problem on every continent and in every environment. Hundreds of different animals are impacted by it everyday. Tarantulas are no exception and what is happening to the spruce-moss spider is happening to many species of tarantulas all over the world. As tropical forests are cut down to make room for cattle, as wooded areas are logged for use in construction, and as desert is torn up to provide housing for more and more humans, the tarantulas are losing their homes. What we must learn is how to share our space with them and make sure when we move in they don’t have to move out.
The other major threat to tarantulas is the pet trade. Those of you who may be listening to this series to help get over your fear of tarantulas are probably thinking ‘who in their right mind would have a tarantula as a pet?’. Well, I can’t attest to the ‘right-mind’ part, but tarantulas can actually be pretty cool pets. They are certainly not for everyone and they do need specialized care that you must be willing to take the time to give them, but they can be a very rewarding pet. As I’ve said before, I had a rose-haired tarantula for 12 years. She hung out in an aquarium with coconut fiber substrate, a water dish, a hidey hole, and furniture that we’d rotate to give her something new to investigate. We did not handle her much, only every once in a while when we needed to deep clean her enclosure, even though she was very even tempered. Tarantulas don’t really like to be handled.
Sorry for that slight detour there, I really loved Rosy, but let’s get back to the pet trade.
For many years the pet trade has been taking its toll on the wild population of tarantulas. We first saw it in the desert areas of Mexico where the red-kneed tarantulas are found. These beautiful red, orange, and black tarantulas have been favorites of pet owners for years. It’s fairly easy to catch these burrowing tarantulas by fooling the females out of they burrow with a fake prey item  on a string, kinda like fishing. During breeding seasons all you have to do is scoop up the males that are wandering around looking for a mate. The desert used to be covered in these tarantulas and people didn’t think collecting them from the wild was a big deal. There were hundreds, maybe thousands, what would it hurt if we took a few?
It hurt a lot because the mature adults were being harvested for the pet trade removing those that could repopulate the area. And it takes many years for these spiders to reach reproductive age, like 8 to 10 years. 
The same thing is now happening to newly discovered tarantula species like the beautiful blue tarantulas of Sri Lanka and India. These are arboreal spiders that have proven incredibly popular with tarantula enthusiasts because of their bright, gorgeous colors. They are incredibly difficult to breed in captivity; therefore, people who are interested in nothing but making money off of nature, collect from the wild to sell them to an eager market.  
So what are we doing? Reluctantly not enough, because part of the problem is that we don’t have an accurate count of the population numbers of most tarantulas in the wild. Scientists all over the world are trying to fix this by beginning studies to count tarantulas year after year to try and get a baseline to help develop conservation guidelines. 
Another regrettable problem that impacts tarantula populations in the wild is that trade in many species is legal because there are no regulations. Trade in some species is illegal but not many. We are combatting this through CITES, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species which has ratified a treaty approved by 183 countries to regulate tarantulas in the Poecilotheria family. This is the family that includes our bright, blue friends. This was passed in 2019, and trade still continues in these species but permits are now needed and shipments are inspected at customs. This is step toward protecting them, a small step but these regulations combined with the population studies researchers are conducting can lead to stronger protections. 
The last major threat to tarantulas is souvenir shops. This may sound silly but this is one of the number one reasons bird-eating spider populations are dwindling. Tourists visiting the home of the bird-eating tarantulas can find these awe-inspiring spiders mounted under glass or plastic for sale in souvenir shops. They are beautiful and look awesome hanging on your wall but we have to remember that these were living creatures that were roaming the jungle just days before. Taking them out of the web of life to hang them on your wall is not something that should be okay. A picture is worth a thousand words and can save a tarantulas life.
Now, my listeners, what can you yourselves do to help your eight-legged friends? Many things. For one, if you want to purchase a tarantula for your own enjoyment at home, make sure you are buying a captive bred tarantula. Ask the breeders where they get their tarantulas, ask to see proof of their breeding facilities, and talk to breeders who specialize in baby tarantulas that are bred in captivity. My Rosy was an adoption from a family that had purchased her from a responsible breeder. 
Number two, do not buy any souvenirs that are made using dead tarantulas. If there is no market for this kind of souvenir, people will stop killing tarantulas to make them. Number three, get involved with a local college, or an app like iNaturalist, that is studying tarantula populations. So much amazing research is supported by citizen scientists and you can help make a difference. You could be taking a hike in the desert or a tour in tropical forest and reporting a siting on iNaturalist can help researchers. 
I know I’ve gone over a bit in the episode and I apologize, but I am completely fascinated by these amazing arachnids and I want them to survive for millennia to come! Thank you so much for taking the tarantula journey with me. The conservation efforts we are taking to ensure their continued survival is my tenth 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 in two weeks for the beginning of a brand new series discussing a wicked cool unknown animal, the caecilian. 
 
(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.
 

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
(Piano music plays)
Kiersten - This is Ten Things I Like About…a ten minute, ten episode podcast about unknown or misunderstood wildlife.
(Piano music stops)
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.

Tarantulas: Defense

Summary: Tarantulas have many predators and they have developed a plethora of ways to defend themselves. Join Kiersten as she discusses these interesting and surprising behaviors.
 
For my hearing impaired listeners, a complete transcript of this podcast follows the show notes on Podbean.
 
Show Notes: 
The Tarantula Scientist by Sy Montgomery
“The Natural History of Tarantula Spiders” by Richard C. Gallon https://www.thebts.co.uk/old_articles/natural.htm
“Parasites of Tarantulas,” Pizzi, Romain. Journal of Exotic Pet Medicine, Vol 18, Issue 4, pg 283-288. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1557506309001153
 
Transcript
(Piano music plays)
Kiersten - This is Ten Things I Like About…a ten minute, ten episode podcast about unknown or misunderstood wildlife.
(Piano music stops)
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 eighth thing I like about these awe-inspiring arachnids is how they defend themselves.
I know lots of people are afraid of tarantulas, but tarantulas have predators that they’re afraid of too. So they’ve developed a plethora of ways to defend themselves.
The first way a tarantula will defend themselves from predators larger than themselves is to stay out of sight. They accomplish this quite well by only coming out at night. Tarantulas are nocturnal, except during mating season, as we learned in the previous episode, when males are out looking for females. When they come out at night during the rest of the year, they do try to stay under cover. This is also where the prey they are hunting is most often found. 
What kind of predators are these tarantulas hiding from? They actually have quite a few natural predators including foxes, skunks, coyotes, large lizards, birds, and even some fellow invertebrates such as centipedes, scorpions, and tarantula hawk wasps. In Cambodia, they have to worry about being eaten by people. They are considered a delicacy. Certainly not on my menu, but…
If hiding does not keep the tarantula safe, the next step they’ll take to ensure survival is to run away. I’m not seeing too much fault in this strategy, honestly. The one who runs away, lives to fight another day. I would love for those of you who are afraid of tarantulas, or those of you that have friends or family that are afraid of tarantulas, and think they are hideous spiders out get you to remember that the first two behaviors they use when confronted with danger is to hide or run away. They are not vicious invertebrates out to bite humans. If they come across us, they really don't want to have anything to do with us and will run away.
Having said that, sometimes you don’t have the ability to run away. When a tarantula finds itself in a position that does not allow for running away, a third behavior called threat posturing is employed. Threat posturing is when a tarantula rears up placing their weight on the back legs and raising its front two pairs of legs and pedipalps straight up in the air.  This makes it look much bigger than it is, which hopefully will make a potential predator think twice about making a meal out of the tarantula. This posture also displays the tarantulas large fangs, which would certainly make me think twice about trying to eat it. The underside of many species is dark which highlights the red fangs making them even more impressive. To enhance this defense mechanism some Old World tarantulas, those that are found in Africa, Asia, and Europe, have brightly colored bands of yellow, white, and black under their two front pairs of legs. We believe flashing these colors is used as a threat to scare off predators.
Defense strategy number four is also only used by Old World tarantulas and involves making threatening sounds. Many species of Old World tarantula have specialized hairs, or setae, that they can use to make sounds. These are called stridulatory setae. They are typically found on the chelicerae and by rubbing the hairs together they can produce hissing or rasping sounds that can scare off a predator.  
Defense strategy number five is used by New World tarantulas, those found in North, Central, and South America. This strategy involves urticating hairs. The main purpose of these hairs is to irritate a predator to ward them off and keep them from coming back for a second try. The irritating hairs, or setae,  are generally found on the tarantulas abdomen. These hairs can be deployed in one of two ways. 
The first way is for the tarantula to rub their abdomen against a predator’s skin. The urticating hairs will dislodge from the tarantula and pierce the predator’s skin and wiggle its way into the predator’s flesh with backward facing barbs. This method is mainly used by the Avicularia species, aka pink-toes, that are native to Panama, the Caribbean, and tropical South America. The problem with this delivery method is probably obvious. You have to get really close to your predator to use this defense mechanism. 
The second way to deploy these urticating hairs gives the tarantulas a bit more room to maneuver. The Theraphosinae species of New World tarantulas can flick these hairs at predators. When threatened with no way out these tarantulas will use their back legs to brush the hairs off their abdomen and flick them into the air. The setae then penetrates the predators skin and wiggles into the flesh with backward facing barbs just like the hairs of the pink-toes. The advantage of being able to flick the hairs, besides distance, is that these hairs can penetrate the eyes of a predator. And as we all know, it’s all fun and games until someone gets poked in the eye.
Research into these urticating hairs has revealed that there are six different types of urticating hairs. It is believed that the different hairs target different types of predators. Types 3 and 4 appear to target mammals as they are more irritating to mammalian predators. Type 3 also seems to target invertebrates. More research is needed to determine if the other types target a specific predator. 
 
Let’s take a moment to reflect back on the defense mechanisms that tarantulas use to protect themselves from larger predators. We’ve discussed five so far, and there is more to come, but so far not one of these defense strategies has involved biting. I mention this because this is the main reason that tarantulas are misunderstood. People think they want to bite us! But they don’t. They really don’t want to bite a predator. It’s literally the last defense mechanism they will use and only if the first five have failed! 
Now these are all defense strategies that tarantulas use against predators that are larger than themselves, but they also have to worry about predators smaller than themselves. Let’s take a look at who those predators are and how  they protect themselves against them. 
In the southwest United States the Tarantula Hawk Wasp is a common sight in spring and summer. It’s a large wasp, growing up to 2 inches in length, with a green-black body and flame colored wings. It’s quite pretty, actually. This is also a misunderstood animal as well, as many people are afraid they might sting us humans, but that only happens if you catch them or accidentally sit on them. 
The adults are pollinators and females are the ones tarantulas must fear. The female wants to find a tarantula to lay her egg on. The wasp lures the tarantula out of its burrow and stings it. The sting immobilizes the tarantula and then the wasp drags the spider back into its burrow and deposits one egg on the tarantula. She the fills in the entrance of the burrow and leaves her egg to hatch. When the wasp egg hatches the pupa eats the tarantula and then emerges from the burrow a full grown wasp. Not the way I want to go!
There is also a species of fly that eats tarantulas from the inside. The fly lays their eggs on the tarantula. When they hatch, the maggots make their way into the book lungs through the openings on the abdomen. They set up house and eat the tarantula’s insides. It can take months for the maggots to finish off the tarantula, who goes about their daily business as usual. It becomes fatal when the maggot pupates and bursts from the tarantula’s abdomen killing its host.
Ants are a predator that female tarantulas must worry about during breeding season when they are protecting eggs sacs. Ants can invade a burrow and tear into an egg sac destroying her young.
So how so you protect yourself from these small predators? It’s difficult but tarantulas have a few tricks up their sleeves. Once again being nocturnal helps because these predators are typically diurnal. Living in burrows helps defend against the tarantula hawk wasps. Staying in an enclosed space can keep you safe because the hawk wasp won’t venture down into the burrow, but the wasps have ways of tricking the tarantula out into the open, so the tarantula must be wary of potential prey items. 
An unexpected way to defend against these predators is to have a roommate that can help you out. Two species of American tarantulas have been seen sharing their burrows with small frogs. The tarantulas do not attack them and it is thought that the frogs eat invertebrates that come into the burrow. They  eat ants that come in looking for an egg sac and, maybe, the flies that are looking for a place to lay some eggs. The frogs also get something out of this arrangement as well. They have a big, hairy bodyguard that protects them from predators that might want to eat the frogs. It’s a win, win. 
That wraps up defense mechanisms for tarantulas and I hope you enjoyed it because it’s my eighth 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.

Tarantulas: Reproduction

Summary: Making babies isn’t easy for tarantulas! So many steps go into creating tarantula spiderlings. Join Kiersten as she talks you through this fascinating behavior.
 
For my hearing impaired listeners, a complete transcript of this podcast follows the show notes on Podbean.
 
Show Notes: 
The Tarantula Scientist by Sy Montgomery
“The Natural History of Tarantula Spiders” by Richard C. Gallon https://www.thebts.co.uk/old_articles/natural.htm
 
Transcript
(Piano music plays)
Kiersten - This is Ten Things I Like About…a ten minute, ten episode podcast about unknown or misunderstood wildlife.
(Piano music stops)
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 seventh thing I like about tarantulas is how they reproduce!
I’m sure you have all heard at least one thing about spider reproduction before listening to this podcast episode and I’m sure it’s the rumor that male spiders better run fast after mating or they’ll get eaten! That can be a valid concern with various species of spiders and even some tarantulas, but not all female spiders are out there looking for a good man to eat. 
Before the male finds himself in this precarious situation there are many steps he must perform first. Let’s start at the beginning. Mating season for many tarantulas is in the late summer or early fall. This is when those of us that live in the western United States will encounter male tarantulas in the road, yards, or even our houses. They are out looking for females.
Before they leave their burrows though, they have a bit of work to do to get ready to win over the ladies. Males must charge their palpal bulbs on the ends of their pedipalps with sperm before they wander out to find a female mate. What exactly does that mean? Great question and I have one doozy of an answer! 
To be able to mate with a female the male tarantula must have a way to transfer his sperm to the female so that her eggs can be fertilized and grow into baby tarantulas, or spiderlings. The male tarantula uses the palpal bulbs, which are hardened sperm storage organs on their pedipalps to make that transfer.  His sperm is made inside his body but not near the pedipalps; therefore, he has to complete a rather long process to get his sperm just where he wants. 
First the male spins a blanket of silk somewhere in his burrow or a protected area at an angle, then he spreads his sperm on the underside of the silk blanket, or sperm web. Next he maneuvers himself on top of the web in just the right spot so that he can reach the sperm with his pedipalps and dips the palpal bulbs into the sperm drawing it into this storage organ. Whew! I’m worn out just talking about all that work. 
Once he’s all charged up, he’s on the prowl. Most females stay in or near their burrows or nests their entire lives, so the male has to go hunting. Now he doesn't just charge into a female’s burrow, that’s how you get eaten! So how do you get a female to come out of their deep, dark hole without losing your life? You dazzle her with song!
Male tarantulas will drum their front legs on the ground just outside the burrow or on the silk threads that protrude outside the female’s burrow. This is how they let the female know it is a romantic house call. This is risky for the male because if the female is not receptive to mating she could come out and aggressively run him off or even damage him. He might also mistakenly pick a male’s burrow. Males don’t generally get into fierce fights with an accidental courting but it’s precious time wasted. 
To help streamline things, females will often announce their receptiveness by applying a pheromone on the silk outside their burrow that let’s males know to knock on her door. Some species of tarantula will actually place this pheromone web in plant matter above their burrow so that the wind will blow the scent farther. Then the male will come and the drumming will commence.
If the female is interested, she will emerge from the burrow to inspect her suitor. Once they are face to face there are a few things that can happen. If she needs a bit more persuading, the male will begin a dance with his front legs, lifting them up and down. Sometimes the female will join in the dance and sometimes she just moves towards the male immediately. Responses can vary from species to species but can also vary with individuals in the same species.
Once he’s won the female’s permission, the slightly dangerous part begins for the male. The two tarantulas will stand in front of each other face to face, then the male with reach under her with his front legs and grasp her fangs with small spurs on the ends of his legs. Once her fangs are secured, which seems like a way for him to make sure she doesn’t try to eat him once copulation is complete, the male will gently lift her and reach back to her genital openings and place his sperm inside. This doesn't take much time and once he’s done he skedaddles as fast as he can.He’s off to find another female. In the wild sexual cannibalism seems to be rare, but in captivity it is known to happen in certain species. 
The female will often fall into an immobile state for several moments after copulation is complete, which is the perfect time for the male to split. We don’t know why the female becomes immobile at this time, but it appears to happen in almost every species of tarantula, at least ever species we’ve observed mating.
Now the female will usually carry the sperm in her body until she is ready to create an egg sac. Since mating is in late summer or early fall, she will typically carry the sperm around until the following spring or summer. Then she prepares some silk and lays the eggs in the silk. The eggs are fertilized with sperm as she lays them. She then rolls the silk into a sturdy egg sac. Depending on the species, she will either carry the sac around with her or stash it safely in her hideout. Generally speaking, ground dwelling tarantulas seem to be the ones that carry the egg sac around while arboreal species leave them in the safety of their homes. This may be due to the fact that the eggs must be kept warm so they can grow into spiderlings and burrows underground stay cooler than nests in trees. Maybe. 
Depending on the species, females can lay anywhere from twenty to one thousand eggs. That’s a whole lotta babies! The eggs typically incubate from 2 to 3 weeks before they hatch. During incubation mom takes very good care of her eggs sac. If she is a species that carries the sac around she’s constantly monitoring the temperature to ensure the eggs do not get too hot or too cold. If they secure them in a hidden space, she’s always nearby making sure the egg sac is safe. 
When it’s time to hatch, the spiderlings will either emerge after they have molted into their first instar stage or before. When they do hatch, they’ll be about the size of a tick. In Avicularia species the spiderlings will emerge in their first instar stage after their first molt. They will be covered in a dark, hairy, hard exoskeleton and will be fully mobile. Other species will emerge as pale, soft nymphs without a hardened exoskeleton. After a few weeks the nymphs will molt into their first instar stage. The spiderlings will hang out with mom for a few weeks and then head out into the world on their own. 
Many people think tarantulas are bad moms and that it’s get out or be eaten as soon as you hatch, but some researchers at Hiram College studying an East African tarantula species saw something quite different. The researchers were actually studying these tarantulas’ breeding behaviors, which were successful, giving the researchers a whole other exciting behavior to study.  After the spiderlings hatched the researchers fed the mother and the babies some crickets and saw something remarkable. The mother grabbed a cricket and allowed many of her spiderlngs to gather around her mouth and share the meal with her, while a second cricket was shared by the rest of the spiderlings! 
I think this is some truly amazing and unexpected behavior. It’s also something that we share in common with this tarantula, caring for young and sharing with our siblings! Who woulda thought?
Like many invertebrates tarantulas must molt their exoskeleton to grow. This can be a complicated and dangerous moment in the tarantulas life. To molt they must crack open their current exoskeleton, flip over on their backs, and shimmy out of their old clothes. It takes several hours until their new exoskeleton hardens and while they wait they are vulnerable. But this it what tarantulas must do at least once a year until they are fully mature and ready to make their own babies. 
The age of maturation varies greatly amongst tarantula species. Some females can take up to ten years before they are ready to mate. Many females of various species can live twenty to thirty years. Males mature earlier and generally live a lot shorter lives than females. Sorry about that guys.
Well, that’s all there is for tarantula reproduction. I hope you were as fascinated by this behavior as I was because it’s my seventh favorite thing about them. 
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.

Tarantulas: Biomimicry

Summary: Tarantulas have taught us some pretty cool things! Join Kiersten and a guest co-host as they talk about what tarantulas have taught us about colors and pain killers.
 
For my hearing impaired listeners, a complete transcript of this podcast follows the show notes on Podbean.
 
Show Notes: 
“Tarantula venom could be used as a potent pain reliever” by Angela Betsaida B. Laguipo, BSN; https://www.news-medical.net/news/20200414/Tarantula-venom-could-be-used-as-a-potent-pain-reliver.aspx
“Tarantula Venom Helps Reveal How We Sense Pain” by Ben Taub; https://www.iflscience.com/tarantula-venom-helps-reveal-how-we-sense-pain-36091
“Blue Tarantula Hair Inspires Nonfading Color Pigment” by Kacey Deamer; https://www.livescience.com/58031-tarantula-hair-inspired-nonfading-color.html
 
Transcript
(Piano music plays)
Kiersten - This is Ten Things I Like About…a ten minute, ten episode podcast about unknown or misunderstood wildlife.
(Piano music stops)
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 sixth thing I like about tarantulas is what we’re learning from them that changes the way we see our world!
Today I have a special guest to help me, my husband Georgiy! Thanks for helping me with this episode on biomimicry, Georgiy.
 
Georgiy - You’re welcome. You said bio-what? 
 
Kiersten - Biomimicry. 
 
Georgiy - What is biomimicry?
 
Kiersten - Biomimicry means that a structure or process built or designed by humans was influenced by biological creatures or processes that happen naturally in the world. 
 
Georgiy - Cool! So this episode is about what we are learning from studying tarantulas?
 
Kiersten - Yes! Exactly! And we’re going to start off with a study done by scientists researching color in tarantulas. Georigy, do you know that tarantulas come in many different colors?
 
Georgiy - I do because you showed me pictures.  My favorite tarantula is the bright blue Sapphire Tarantula.
 
Kiersten - Ooo. Good choice! That one is amazing!
 
Georgiy - What did they find out researching the blue color of these tarantulas?
 
Kiersten - I’m so glad you asked because it’s super cool! They discovered that the blue on the tarantula is a structural color. Many of the colors we see are pigments that produce color when the electrons interact with light. Our clothing and our paint are based on these kinds of pigments. The problem is that they will eventually fade and is often made with chemicals that can harm our environment. 
 
The tarantula’s blue color is a structural color, which means there are tiny nanostructures on their exoskeleton that scatter light at a specific wavelength producing the blue color we see. Now structural colors, which are produced when light interacts with nanostructures that are about the same size as a specific color’s wavelength, are nothing new. We’ve known about structural colors for a while, but most of them are iridescent. 
 
Georgiy - Like some bird feathers? 
 
Kiersten - Yes! Just like certain bird’s feathers. Have you ever looked at at peacock feather in the sun? 
 
Georgiy - I have. It’s very pretty.
 
Kiersten - What happened when you twisted that feather between your fingers?
 
Georgiy - It looks like it changed colors.
 
Kiersten - Exactly! When the light reflects off the nanostructures at different angles the light changes m  aking the color change. It’s beautiful but as one of the researchers from the University of Akron in Ohio, Bor-Kai Hsiung (suhng) said in an interview with LiveScience, “It’s beautiful out in nature, but not very functional when we’re watching television and we move to a new seat.” 
 
Georgiy - So how does the Sapphire Tarantula fit in?  
 
Kiersten - Researchers took a closer look at several different species of blue tarantulas and discovered that their pigments are not iridescent. The nanostructres of their hair are covered with distinct flower-like structures that limit the iridescence.
 
Georgiy - Wow! What does that mean?
 
Kiersten - It means that we could use this structure to create more vibrant, longer lasting, and less toxic colors for use in paints, clothing, and digital screens!
 
Georgiy - Well, that is just cool! What other things are tarantulas teaching us?
 
Kiersten - The venom of Heteroscodra maculata, or the Togo Starburst Tarantula native to West Africa, is helping us understand how our bodies process pain.
 
Georgiy - Hmmm. Tell me more.
 
Kiersten - Certainly. Researchers at the University of California, San Fransisco were interested in isolating the specific pathways that indicate pain to our central nervous system. The impulses that tell our CNS that we are in pain use voltage-gated sodium channels known as Nav channels. We have so many different types of Nav channels that we don’t currently know which ones actually indicate pain. So when you use a local anesthetic it blocks all the Nav channels so that patient does not feel pain. But if we could understand which channels actually transmit the pain signals we could better treat certain CNS disorders. 
 
Georgiy - That sounds complicated.
 
Kiersten - It kind of is, but that’s it for the hard part. Next the researchers injected the tarantulas venom into the feet of mice and then mapped the Nav channels that reacted.  
 
Georgiy - What happened?
 
Kiersten - The mice got some itchy feet and the researchers discovered that the Nav1.1 channels are the ones that reacted to the proteins in the venom. We now understand that these Nav1.1 channels are the ones that react to a mechanical pain but not a thermal pain. They took this information and applied it to a disorder called irritable bowl syndrome, or IBS, in which people often describe pain in their guts. These Nav1.1 channels are found in the gut. So by using this tarantula’s venom we now have a new idea of how to better treat the symptoms of IBS.
 
Georgiy - All of that from tarantula venom?
 
Kiersten - Yep! And speaking of venom, there’s more.
 
Georgiy - More? What else have we learned from studying tarantula venom?
 
Kiersten - Researchers at the University of Queensland have discovered that molecules in tarantula venom could be used as pain killers for people that suffer from chronic, or long-term, pain.
 
Georgiy - That’s interesting, but taking pain killers long term can be pretty addictive, right?
 
Kiersten - Yes, if you’re taking an opioid pain killer. These can be extremely addictive and as anyone who listens to the news knows, it has been a big problem that many people are battling as of late. The venom of the Chinese Bird Spider, also known as the Chinese Black Earth Tiger Tarantula, was broken down into its individual molecules, then scientists replicated some of the molecules creating mini-molecules and gave them to mice. It helped reduce pain without any addictive side effects. This could be a non-addictive alternative to opioids for people with long-term pain.
 
Georgiy - It seems like we are learning a lot from tarantulas.
 
Kiersten - We really are and as long as we keep their natural habitats from disappearing who know what else we can learn!
 
That’s it for this episode of Ten Things I Like About Tarantulas! Thanks for co-hosting with me this week, Georgiy!
 
Georgiy - You’re welcome! 
 
Kiersten -  I hope you all enjoyed learning about what tarantulas have taught us because it’s my sixth favorite thing about these amazing arachnids.
 
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.

Tarantulas: Species

Summary: Did you know that there are more than 850 species of tarantulas and that they’ve been around since the time of the dinosaurs? Join Kiersten as she delves into the natural history of the tarantula and takes a look at the different species alive today.
 
 For my hearing impaired listeners, a complete transcript of this podcast follows the show notes on Podbean.
 
Show Notes: 
The Tarantula Scientist by Sy Montgomery
Remarkable Animals: The Tarantula by Gail LaBonte
“Tarantulas are everywhere and now researchers know why” by Mihai Andrei, ZME Science https://www.zmescience.com/science/biology/tarantula-evolution-gondwana-19042021/
https://nationalzoo.si.edu/animals/goliath-bird-eating-tarantula
https://tarantulafriendly.com/category/tarantula-species/south-america
“Farewell to the World’s Smallest Tarantula?” By Jane Schneider https://www.nwf.org/Magazines/National-Wildlife/2017/Oct-Nov/Conservation/Spruce-Fir-Moss_Spider
 
Transcript
(Piano music plays)
Kiersten - This is Ten Things I Like About…a ten minute, ten episode podcast about unknown or misunderstood wildlife.
(Piano music stops)
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 fifth thing I like about these unbelievable spiders is how many different species and sizes there are!
 
There are 850 different species of tarantula currently known today and we’re discovering new species all the time!
 
Let’s clarify what exactly I’m talking about when I use the word tarantula. In all the episodes of Ten Things I Like About Tarantulas, I am talking about spiders in the Theraphosidae Family. This family includes nothing but tarantulas, the heavy bodied, hairy looking arachnids. All sub-tropical and tropical tarantulas are classified under Family Theraphosidae. 
 
They were not originally called tarantulas actually. In Malaysia they are called “earth tigers”, parts of Africa call them “monkey spiders”. The name tarantula came from European explorers that made a mistake. The original spider referred to as a tarantula is not a spider classified in the Family Theraphosidae. It’s actually a wolf spider from Mediterranean Europe and it IS a fairly large, hairy spider, but not a tarantula. Back in the day, people thought this spider’s bite was exceptionally dangerous. They were mistaken, another spider was actually responsible for the terrible bite but that’s another story.  
 
It was said that the wolf spider’s bite hurt so much that it made you dance around in pain while you tried to get rid of the venom! They called the dance the tarantella, named after the Italian town of Taranto where this wolf spider is commonly found. When European explorers traveled to far away lands and saw large hairy spiders they called them tarantulas because they looked so much like the wolf spiders they ere used to seeing. So once again, a misunderstanding in language has lasted throughout human history. 
 
Okay, now that we know the origin of the tarantula’s name, let’s look at their evolutionary history. It seems that tarantulas evolved about 120 million years ago in the Cretaceous period. That’s when dinosaurs were still roaming the earth. They actually shared the planet with dinosaurs for about 60 million years. 
 
Tarantulas roamed the content of Gondwana, which was a super continent formed of modern day South America, Africa, Arabia, Madagascar, India, Australia, and Antarctica. This is why they are so widespread today. When continental drift began to create the Earth’s modern day configuration, tarantulas hitched a ride on the moving landscape. The preserved fossil of a 40 million year old tarantula shows that they have changed very little from that time period. They look pretty much like the tarantulas of today. Why mess with perfection, right?
 
As time passed varies sizes and species of tarantula developed. Let’s look at some of the fascinating species of tarantula that inhabit our planet today.
 
We’ll start off with the largest species of tarantula. Weighing in at 6 ounces with a body length of 5 inches and a leg span of 12 inches, we have the Goliath Bird-Eating Tarantula. If you put a full grown adult on a common dinner plate their legs would sit comfortably on the edges of this plate. That is a huge spider!
 
The Goliath Bird-Eating Tarantula is found in South American rainforests. They eat pretty much anything smaller than themselves including mice, lizards, amphibians, and invertebrates. Even though they are called bird eating tarantulas they rarely if ever eat birds. The name comes from a sketch that Maria Sybilla Merian, a naturalist who lived from 1647-1717, drew of a tarantula in a tree eating a hummingbird. She based the sketch on reports from explorers in country at the time that stated the tarantula was large enough to eat birds.  Much like anything else outrageous, it has withstood the test of time. 
 
Goliath Bird-Eating Tarantulas are a rust red color all over and the hairs, or setae, that cover their body lay more flat compared to some other tarantulas, giving them a more stream-lined look. Like all other tarantulas they have fangs that help them catch and eat their food. The Goliath Bird-Eating tarantula’s fangs are 2 inches long!
 
Turning to the complete opposite end of the spectrum, let’s look at the world’s smallest tarantula. The Spruce-Fir Moss Tarantula is the size of a BB gun pellet when fully grown! That is a seriously small spider. It is found only in one place in the world, a few pockets of the Southern Appalachian Mountains of the Southeastern United States. They live under the moss mats that grow on rocks at high elevations of the mountains. They are typically found above 5300 feet above sea level. The moss they build their funnel webs under provides them with insulation and food resources they need to survive. 
 
Spruce-Fir Moss tarantulas are a brown color all over the body and, similar to the Goliath bird-eating tarantula, they have a bit less hair than some other tarantulas.
 
Sadly these mini-tarantulas are on the endangered species list do to habitat loss. Since they are so small and live his in the mountain range we know very little about their individual live,s but researchers are still studying them when they can to learn everything we can about them in hopes of helping them survive.
 
Size is not the only thing that ranges widely between tarantula species. What would you think if I told you tarantulas come in many different colors? I can see you faces now! You’re giving me the chin scratch! Tarantulas only come in different shade of brown, right? Nope! While brown is a very common color some tarantulas are actually bright blue, orange, and even green!
 
There is a Cobalt Blue Tarantula native to Myanmar and Thailand and their name is no exaggeration. This tarantula is as blue as a sapphire gemstone.
 
The Green Bottle Blue Tarantula of South America has bright blue legs, a lustrous green carapace, and a sunrise orange rump. It is one of the most ostentatiously colored tarantulas.
 
The Orange-knee tarantula of Mexico is a beautiful combination of black on the body with stripes of orange on the legs and outlining the carapace. The color-blocking on these tarantulas is truly spectacular.
 
The Pinktoe tarantula, the first species of tarantula to be described by European naturalists, is black on the legs and carapace, a lighter brown on the abdomen, or opisthosoma, with light pink on the last segment of their legs, hence pink toes!
 
And my personal favorite, the Chilean Rose Hair Tarantula from the desert of Chile. The majority of the body is brown but their carapace is an iridescent pink color.
 
And many other species of tarantulas that are mainly brown on their body will have shades of brown that create striking patterns such as the Skeleton Tarantula from Brazil. This tarantula is dark brown on the abdomen and legs with a light blonde on the carapace and light blonde patterning on the legs. 
 
And the Pumpkin Patch Tarantula from Columbia. This oddly named spider is brown on the legs and chelicerae with black and tan creating an intricate geometrical pattern on the carapace and abdomen.
 
The various species and sizes of tarantulas is truly astounding and that’s why it’s my fifth favorite thing about them.
 
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.
 
 

Tarantulas: How They Hunt

Summary: Tarantulas are predators! They have a unique way of hunting their prey. Join Kiersten as she walks you through how these eight-legged wonders catch food.
 
For my hearing impaired listeners, a complete transcript of this podcast follows the show notes on Podbean.
 
Show Notes: 
The Tarantula Scientist by Sy Montgomery
Remarkable Animals: The Tarantula by Gail LaBonte
 
Transcript
(Piano music plays)
Kiersten - This is Ten Things I Like About…a ten minute, ten episode podcast about unknown or misunderstood wildlife.
(Piano music stops)
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 fourth thing I like about these eight-legged wonders is how they hunt!
 
Most of the tarantulas that we currently know about are carnivores. That means they eat meat. We have yet to discover a tarantula that eats vegetables but you never know. Most tarantulas are ambush predators which means they lay in wait until the right prey comes along. They hide under cover and wait patiently until food comes to them. Some species will stay in or near their burrows to hunt while others will travel a short distance from their homes. If you’ve ever encountered a tarantula in your house at night, it was probably searching for a nice midnight meal!
 
What is the correct prey item for a tarantula? That can depend on the species of tarantula and how big they are, but the majority of them hunt other invertebrates. Tarantulas are opportunistic eaters which means they will consume almost anything that they can catch. Examples of common prey items are grasshoppers, crickets, beetles, wasps, cicadas, worms, caterpillars, and even other spider species. 
 
Sam Marshall, a scientist studying tarantulas in the wild, has been able to lure them our of burrows by dangling earthworms in front the entrance. I could go on but the list is long when it comes to invertebrates. Almost any kind of insect you can think of could be consumed by a tarantula. Hmmm. Maybe not ants, I haven’t seen any references to tarantulas eating ants.
 
Some of you may be asking if they eat things other than invertebrates. You may even be thinking about the bird-eating tarantulas of South America. They must eat birds if it’s in their name, right? That is a reasonable thought but…Not so much. These tarantulas are large enough to eat birds, but there is not a lot of evidence proving that they do eat birds. These large tarantulas eat bigger invertebrates, mice, lizards, and will even occasionally catch a toad. The reason they have this name is because of an illustration depicting an arboreal tarantula eating a hummingbird, but as of yet no one has seen this behavior in the wild. I’ll have more on this in a future episode.
 
Now that we know what they eat, let’s find out how they catch their prey. For those of you who have already listened to the episode on senses, you know that tarantulas have fairly poor eyesight. They cannot see in detail. So if they cannot see clearly, they must rely on another sense to detect prey, right? That is an excellent thought, Listeners. And that is exactly what they do! The sensitive hairs, or setae, covering their body help them feel prey items when they are close enough to successfully catch them. These hairs are extremely sensitive and as the tarantula gains experience it learns which movements indicate potential prey. They can tell the difference between a grasshopper, a moth, or a mouse. 
 
Tarantulas that hunt from home have another trick they use to successfully  catch a meal. All spiders spin silk and tarantulas are no exception. Other species of spiders spin large webs in open spaces to catch prey items that happen to get caught in the sticky silk. It’s an excellent way to catch prey unawares, but tarantulas do not use their silk webs in this way. However, they do set trip wires along the ground that attach to webbing laid down on the floor of their burrows. These trip wires will vibrate when something walks by it. The tarantula will sit patiently in the entrance of the burrow with one of its legs touching the silk attached to the trip wire. As soon as the silk vibrates at just the right frequency, they pounce!
 
Tarantulas cannot jump but they have strong chelicerae and pedipalps that aide in catching, as well as eating, food. Once they have determined that an appropriate food item is nearby they can move quickly to snatch it. They grab it with the two fangs that are attached to the end of the chelicerae and stabilize it with the pedipalps. Tarantula fangs can only move up and down, so they must rear back to expose their fangs when they are grabbing their prey. 
 
The fangs are connected to venom sacs that sit inside the chelicerae. The tarantula will inject their prey with venom to kill it. The venom also helps breakdown the insides of the prey into a soup-like liquid. Don’t worry, it’s likely that their prey is dead before their insides begin to dissolve. This can take a little time so the tarantula will hold their food patiently as they wait. 
 
After the venom has had time to work, the tarantula will crush its food with its chelicerae. The juices will squeeze out and the tarantula’s strong stomach muscles will suck the juices into its mouth, like a vacuum cleaner! I have to admit it sounds kind of gruesome, but it’s also terribly fascinating. 
 
Like most spiders, the tarantula can only digest liquids, but unlike most spiders they do chew their food to get all the liquid out. To make sure no large pieces of exoskeleton get into their digestive system, they have small hairs around their mouth that act like a filter keeping out those large pieces. The whole process can take up to twenty minutes, so the tarantula will pull back into their burrow or hiding spot while they eat to protect themselves from predators that might be hunting them! Once they’re done the only thing that is left is a little bit of exoskeleton.
 
After the tarantula has finished its meal, they take a moment to clean their mouth parts. They are very fastidious about cleanliness because the hairs around their mouths are so important in keeping them healthy.
 
The last question we need to answer about how tarantulas hunt is how often do they need to eat. The answer is quite mind-blowing. Are you ready? One grasshopper can be enough food for the tarantula for two months! That’s 60 days! Could you imagine if we could live off of one hamburger for two months? That is some slow digestion! 
 
I know this to be true, through personal experience. I had a rose-haired tarantula as a pet for 12 years and I gave her about five crickets a month. Sometimes the crickets died of old age before she even ate them! 
 
The way tarantulas hunt is fascinating and I know you loved hearing about it because it is my fourth 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.

Tarantulas: Where They Live

Summary: Tarantuals live all over the world! Join Kiersten as she talks about where tarantulas live, what habitats they like, and how they got all over the planet.
 
For my hearing impaired listeners, a complete transcript of this podcast follows the show notes on Podbean.
 
Show Notes: 
The Tarantula Scientist by Sy Montgomery
“Tarantulas are everywhere and now researchers know why” by Mihai Andrei, ZME Science https://www.zmescience.com/science/biology/tarantula-evolution-gondwana-19042021/
https://www.heath-hands.org.uk/blog/subterranean-spiders
https://www.biodiversityexplorer.info/arachnids/spiders/theraphosidae/index.htm
https://environment.des.qld.gov.au/wildlife/animals/living-with/tarantulas
https://usaspiders.com/aphonopelma-hentzi-texas-brown-tarantula/
“The Natural History of Tarantula Spiders” by Richard C. Gallon https://www.thebts.co.uk/old_articles/natural.htm
 
Transcript
(Piano music plays)
Kiersten - This is Ten Things I Like About…a ten minute, ten episode podcast about unknown or misunderstood wildlife.
 
(Piano music stops)
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 third thing I like about these amazing arachnids is where they live!
 
Tarantulas are found on every continent on the planet with the exception of Antartica. For those arachnaphobs out there this is distressing news, but do not worry they have specific habitats that they prefer and once you know what these are you can successfully avoid them. Although, by the end of this series of Ten Things I Like About, I know all my listeners will be in love with tarantulas! Okay, okay, if not love then at least in appreciation.
 
Tarantulas are most commonly found in warmer climates. Semi-arid desert habitat is the environment that most people associate with tarantulas, but more tarantulas are actually found in tropical rainforests than desert areas. Most tarantulas are distributed on land found 40 degrees north of the equator to 40 degrees south of the equator. This places them in warmer regions of the planet which includes Africa, southern Europe, areas of the Middle East, southern Asia, Indonesia, Australia, and all of Central and South America.
 
Tarantulas found in North America are typically restricted to the Southwest, including Arizona, Utah, Nevada, California, Colorado, Texas, and Oklahoma; although, the Texas Brown has been seen as far east as Missouri. A common area home to several species of tarantula in North America is the desert. Various species of tarantula are found in semi-desert areas of the Sonoran, Chihuahua, and Mojave deserts. 
 
There are seven species of tarantula described in Australia. They are found in Queensland, New South Wales, South Australia, and Western Australia. The habitat they favor consists of desert, temperate, and rainforest areas. They are not found in the southern coastal areas or the northern tropics. 
 
South America is a hotspot for tarantulas. These hairy arachnids are found almost everywhere on this continent. The warm, humid tropical forests are a great place to find tarantulas. Just north of the equator sits French Guiana, it’s about the size of Indiana in the United States and is considered by many scientists to be the tarantula capital of the world. About a dozen different species of tarantula live there including the world famous bird-eating tarantulas!
 
In Africa, tarantulas are found almost everywhere with the exception of the Sahara desert. This desert is home to only a handful of creatures that can tolerate the super dry environment and the extreme temperatures. No tarantula has yet to be found that is equipped to survive there. But Africa is host to many species of temperate as well as tropical species of tarantula, one of the most famous being the baboon spiders.
 
In Europe, one must be very careful when looking for tarantulas. You must be sure to not get them mixed up with hairy wolf spiders! The original “tarantula” was a very hairy wolf spider seen in Taranto, Italy. The name was carried to other continents by European explorers who used it to describe other hairy spiders they saw. We ended up keeping and using the word “tarantula” for arachnids in the Family Theraphosidae. There is only one known species of tarantula in the United Kingdom classified in Family Therphosidae and that is the purse web spider.
 
You might be thinking, how did tarantulas find their way to almost every continent in the world? Well some scientists from Carnegie Mellon University had the same question. Behaviorally speaking, tarantulas are typically homebodies, so how did they spread across the planet? Turns out tarantulas are pretty old. Like Cretaceous period running around with dinosaurs old. Because they lived during this time they inhabited Gondwana, the supercontinent that existed before tectonic activity created continental drift resulting in the seven continents we have today. Tarantulas just hitched a ride. 
 
There is also some evidence that tarantulas may be better dispersers than we initially thought, at least on the Asian continent. It appears that two lineages colonized across the Asian continent. Some stayed in India while others diversified across Asia while the Indian tectonic plate was still drifting toward Asia. These two lineages actually colonized Asia 20 million years apart. This information is encouraging scientists to reevaluate how they think about tarantula dispersal. 
 
Now that we know where in the world to find tarantulas, let’s take a closer look at where they spend most of their time. There are two main places that tarantulas live. The first is the most common and what most people think of when you think about tarantulas, underground burrows.
 
The vast majority of tarantulas live in underground burrows. These burrows are often self made by the tarantula, but occasionally another animal’s abandoned burrow will be used. To dig the burrow, tarantulas will use their chelicerae and pedipalps to move the soil. If they are digging their own burrow and they are a sedentary species that lives in one place for many years, they will expand the tunnels and chamber as they themselves grow! Could you imagine having to build a larger house or apartment each time we humans got bigger?
 
Most burrows consist of one long tunnel leading to an ovoid chamber that the tarantula uses to rest in. Often both the tunnel and chamber floors will be covered in a layer of silk that the tarantula produces itself. Some species of tarantulas have a more elaborate set up with more than one chamber and additional entrance tubes. This does give you an escape route if confronted by another tarantula or a predator. Smart thinking!
 
Some species will spruce up the entrance to their burrow with a structure called a turret. The turret consists of plant material and soil stitched together with silk. It sits outside the lip of the burrow and prevents ground water from flooding the burrow! What a great example of forethought…in an arachnid! Amazing! 
 
The second place tarantulas live is in trees! Yes, that’s right I said trees. There are a handful of arboreal tarantula species. They are found in South America, Africa, and Asia, mainly in tropical forests. Arboreal tarantulas have many different choices when it comes to finding a secure living space in a tree. Some will construct a tube made of silk that it attaches to surrounding branches. Rotted holes in trees can make a lovely abode for a tarantula to inhabit. Some will rest behind loose panels of bark. And other’s use epiphytic plants that grow in the branches of trees. Talk about a fancy high rise home. These tarantulas know where it’s at!
 
There is a third life style that is still being studied, but it appears that some tarantulas may live a vagabond life. They wander from burrow to burrow or hiding spot taking refuge in whatever place they can find during the day. So far, it looks like only two species may lead this type of life, but more research is needed to confirm this behavior.
 
That’s it for this third fascinating episode about tarantulas. I hope you liked learning about where tarantulas live as much as I liked writing about it, because it is my third 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.
 

Tarantulas: Senses

Summary: The senses of the tarantula are complex and bind-blowing! Join Kiersten as she walks you through this amazing arachnid’s sense of sight, hearing, touch, taste and smell.
 
For my hearing impaired listeners, a complete transcript of this podcast follows the show notes on Podbean.
 
Show Notes:
The Tarantula Scientist by Sy Montgomery
https://study.com/academy/lesson/tarantulas-anatomy-habitat-bite.html
https://www.labroots.com/trending/plants-and-animals/18796/surprise-tarantulas-color-vision
“The evolution of coloration and opsin in tarantulas.” By Satires Foley, Vinodkumar Saranathan, and William H. Piel. Proceedings of the Royal Society B, September 2020. https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2020.1688
“Airborne Acoustic Perception by a Jumping Spider.” By Paul S. Shamble, Gil Menda, James R. Golden, Eyal I. Nitzany, Katherine Walden, Tsevi Beatus, Damian O. Elias, Itai Cohen, Ronald N. Miles, and Ronald R. Hoy, Current Biology, Vol. 26, Issue 21, pg 2913-2920
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2016.08.041
https://faunafacts.com/spiders/can-tarantulas-hear/
 
Transcript
(Piano music plays)
Kiersten - This is Ten Things I Like About…a ten minute, ten episode podcast about unknown or misunderstood wildlife.
(Piano music stops)
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 second thing I like about these awesome creatures is their senses!
 
The five senses that are typically common amongst most animals are sight, hearing, touch, taste, and smell. We’re going to look at each one of these in relation to tarantulas. Buckle up listeners, this is going to be a crazy ride!
 
Okay, let’s start with vision. As mentioned in the anatomy episode, tarantulas have eight eyes. They are set just above the chelicerae. Two large eyes, that are relatively easy to see with the naked human eye, are centered in the middle of the front portion of the cephalothorax. Four eyes sit below those. These are smaller than the large eyes and sit in a line. Of these four eyes, the two in the middle will be slightly larger than the two on the ends. 
 
Now, if you’re keeping count that gives us only six eyes. The final two eyes sit on each side of the head. Once again, they will be smaller than the large front facing eyes, but they are bigger than the four eyes that are lined below the main eyes. This is typical of most tarantulas but not all species will be exactly the same. So based on the fact that they have eight eyes, their eyesight must be amazing! That’s an excellent deductive thought listeners, but in this case it is not correct.
 
Tarantulas’ eyes are capable of detecting motion and changes in light, but cannot determine visual cues in any detail. When it comes to tarantulas, more eyes does not mean better vision. But before you shed a tear for these wee animals, their eyes are perfect for how they live their lives. Most tarantulas are nocturnal, so seeing in shades of light and dark is just what they need to navigate their environment successfully.
 
It is commonly thought that tarantulas cannot see color. It makes sense that if you live in the shadows of night the ability to see color is not important, but there is some recent research that is challenging this thought. There are some tarantulas that are covered in bright blues and greens. For example, the Cobalt Blue tarantula of Myanmar and Thailand is a bright, beautiful sapphire blue. This is a truly gorgeous species of tarantula, to the human eye, but why would the tarantula produce a blue color if they themselves cannot see it? 
 
  In a research paper published in 2020, scientists analyzed the opsins in tarantula eyes. Opsins are light-sensitive proteins that are often present in animals that possess color vision. It was previously thought that these opsins would not be present in tarantulas but the scientists found some. This indicates that the tarantula can see in color, or at least some colors. We’re not one hundred percent sure why these tarantulas are blue, but the current thought is that the color is used to attract mates. Studies have not been performed with brown, red, or orange colored tarantulas so we’ll have to wait to find out if they can see in color. The closer you look at these amazing arachnids, the cooler they become. Am I right? 
 
Let’s move on to hearing. The question here is can tarantulas hear? H-E-A-R. (Laugh) Sorry bad pun. The answer is more complicated than just a yes or no, so let’s discuss the details. Tarantulas do not have ears in the traditional sense, but they are capable of hearing. 
 
As you have probably noticed tarantulas are pretty hairy. These hairs, or setae, are not just for looks, they are specialized structures that perform various functions for the tarantula. One of those functions is to detect vibrations. The setae on the legs are highly sensitive to air-borne vibrations. Quoting from a scientific paper published in Current Biology in November 2016 titled “Airborne Acoustic Perception by a Jumping Spider" these setae “are air-flow mechanoreceptors sensitive to the particle-velocity component of airborne stimuli”. Plainly said, the setae on the tarantula’s legs vibrate when sound waves hit them and this transfers information from the environment to the tarantula. I think that’s pretty cool! 
 
(As a side note, this experiment was performed with jumping spiders, which are not a type of tarantula, but the setae of both arachnids are so similar that we can make educated assumptions that this ability also applies to tarantulas.)
 
What’s even more amazing is that these setae can help the tarantula differentiate between predators and prey. According to scientific experiments, typical predators of tarantulas produce low-frequency sounds when they move. When those sounds hit the setae they vibrate at a specific rate. When the tarantula feels those vibrations they know they need to go into defense mode. Prey items produce different frequency sounds and when the setae vibrate at those rates the tarantula knows to go into hunting mode! I think it’s outstanding that these little hair-like structures can do so much!
 
Next, let’s investigate the tarantula’s sense of touch. This sense is related to the setae that covers their whole body. Essentially the tarantula’s entire body is one big sensory receptor. But it can be aided by the silk that they produce. Tarantulas that live in burrows often spin a flat web covering the ground that makes up the tunnels and chambers of their burrow. These webs help transmit vibrations to the tarantula’s sensitive legs. It tells them when a larger predator may be present or when a smaller prey item is near by. This is the same for tarantulas that live in trees, our arboreal tarantulas, it’s just not done on a burrow. 
 
These setae are so sensitive that any movement in the air can provide information to the tarantula. A slight breeze, the flap of a predatory bird wing, or a rain drop can all impart important information through the sensitive setae covering the tarantula’s body.
 
The last two senses are smell and taste. These are combined in the tarantula, or as far as we know they are (It is a bit difficult to ask them how that cockroach tastes), and once again these senses rely on the setae. The chelicerae and the pedipalps are the two anatomical structures most closely involved in taste and smell. For more information about those two anatomical structures, please listen to the first episode on anatomy. These two structures are covered in, you guessed it, setae, but these setae are different from the ones on their legs. These setae are chemoreceptors. The structure of the chemoreceptors is different from the setae used as mechanoreceptors that sense vibrations. The chemoreceptor setae are curved, double-layered, open to the environment at the end, and innervated at the base. This structure allows odors to infiltrate the setae so the tarantula can determine what they have encountered. Is it a prey item they wish to eat, a dirt clod or leaf they need to ignore, or the scent of a known predator they need to hide from? 
 
It’s been wild ride into the world of tarantula senses, and I hope you have enjoyed it as much as I have because it is the second thing like 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.

Tarantula: Anatomy

Summary: Tarantulas are a frequently misunderstood animal so join Kiersten as she illuminates what makes them so cool! We start off with anatomy.
 
For my hearing impaired listeners, a complete transcript of this podcast follows the show notes on Podbean.
 
Show notes: 
The Tarantula Scientist by Sy Montgomery
https://study.com/academy/lesson/tarantulas-anatomy-habitat-bite.html
https://www.britannica.com/science/book-lung
https://www.tarantulasdemexico.com/en/anatomia_en.htm
 
Transcript
(Piano music plays)
Kiersten - This is Ten Things I Like About…a ten minute, ten episode podcast about unknown or misunderstood wildlife.
(Piano music stops)
 
Kiersten - Welcome to Ten Things I Like About… 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. 
 
My name is Kiersten and I have a Master’s Degree in Animal Behavior and did my thesis on the breeding behavior of the Tri-colored bat. I was a zookeeper for many years and have worked with all sorts of animals from Aba Aba fish to tigers to ravens to domesticated dogs and so many more in between. Many of those years were spent in education programs and the most important lesson I learned was that the more information someone has about a particular animal the less they fear them. The less they fear them the more they crave information about them and before you know it you’ve become an advocate for that misunderstood animal.
 
This is the first episode of tarantulas, my first misunderstood animal, and my first favorite thing about tarantulas is their anatomy! I’m not kidding listeners! This is one fascinating animal and o ne of the best ways to get comfortable with a misunderstood animal is to understand how they work, so let’s get started with the tarantula’s anatomy.
 
Tarantulas are classified as arachnids which means they are invertebrates that have eight legs. This puts them in the company of spiders, scorpions, harvestmen, ticks, and mites. Many people clump spiders and tarantulas together, but spiders and tarantulas are classified separately by scientists because of some anatomical differences and we’ll touch on these toward the end of this episode.
 
As invertebrates, tarantulas have an exoskeleton. This is a hard outer shell made of chitin that gives their body shape. To grow they must shed this exoskeleton periodically in a process called molting.
 
The most iconic attribute of tarantulas is their hair. This may be the biggest reason they creep people out, but this hair is super cool. The bristles are not made of of the same thing animal hair is made out, so technically not hair. Tarantula bristles are made of chitin, the same thing their exoskeleton is made of and there are four types of bristles. One type is the setae which all tarantulas have and these bristles act as sensory organs detecting chemicals, feeling vibrations, and sensing wind direction. The next type of bristles are the scopulae. These are found at the end of their legs and allow tarantulas to cling to surfaces. There are two other types of bristles that some but not all, tarantulas have, both are used in defense. One is the stridulating bristles that tarantula can rub together to make a hissing sound when threatened! How cool is that! And the fourth bristle is the urticating bristles that    can be detached from the abdomen and thrown at predators. These bristles are itchy and can irritate the nose, eyes, and mouth of a predator for hours.
 
Starting with the easily seen anatomy, tarantulas have two segments of their body the prosoma and the opisthosoma. The prosoma is the front portion of the tarantula, also known as the cephalothorax, where the eight legs are attached, where the eyes and mouth sit, and where the pedipalps attach. The opisthosoma is the back portion of the tarantula, often called the abdomen, where the lungs are housed and the spinnerets are attached.
 
Let’s take a closer look at the prosoma. The most notable appendage attached to the prosoma are the legs. Tarantulas have eight legs with seven segments on each leg. At the end of the legs are small tarsal claws that aide the tarantula in climbing and sticking to surfaces. These claws are retractable which means they can be extended when in use or brought back in when not in use. Depending on the species, there are two to three tarsal claws. 
 
Pedipalps are the second most obvious appendage attached to the prosoma. These are leg-like appendage at the front of the prosoma. They are often mistaken for legs but pedipalps are used to help catch and hold food, smelling, and feeling vibrations. They do not help the tarantula walk. Males will also use these to transfer sperm to the female during breeding season.
 
  The chelicerae are also on the prosoma but these are not as obvious unless you are holding the tarantula upside down, which I would not recommend, they really don't like that! The chelicerae kind of look like hairy beaver teeth and house the fangs and venom glands. They are also important in chewing their food. This chelicerae are so strong that they can sometimes use them to help move dirt in a burrow or even break roots that may get in their way. Another use for the chelicerae is for grooming. Tarantulas are very tidy and clean animals that use their chelicera, or mouth parts,   to groom their pedipalps and legs.
 
The eyes, eight of them are also found on the prosoma of the tarantula. They are located on the top, front portion of the prosoma just in front of the fovea, a depression in the middle of the carapace which the top of the prosoma. Tarantula eyes are mainly used for judging brightness of light rather than clear visual images. 
 
The prosoma also houses internal organs vital to the tarantula’s survival. As we covered before, the mouth is found here and the mouth leads to the esophagus and the stomach. The stomach is kinda like a vacuum, sucking food through the mouth and the esophagus. The underside of the fovea is where the suction muscles of the stomach are attached. 
 
The tarantula’s brain is also housed here in the prosoma. Their brain is definitely different from mammalian brains but it is just as important in processing environmental information. Their brain is divided into two ganglia, or bundles of nerves, that control nerve channels throughout the entire body. 
 
There are also large retractor muscles housed in the prosoma and these help anchor and control the mobility of the legs. These muscles are also anchored to the fovea just like the stomach muscles.
 
Alright, let’s move on to the second section of the tarantula’s body, the opisthosoma, or the abdomen. This is often the largest portion of the tarantula’s body. On the outside, the spinnerets poke out the back and these four appendages help produce and spin silk. 
 
There are four openings on the opisthosoma that connect to the tarantulas lungs, allowing oxygen transfer. And the anus is also found on this structure, because everyone poops!
 
Okay, let’s go inside the opisthosoma. Inside we run into the intestines. The glands that help produce silk are also found here. If it is a female tarantula her ovaries are housed in the opisthosoma. Last but defiantly not least, the lungs and heart are found here as well.
 
Now the tarantula has some of the coolest lungs around. They are called book lungs. Why? Because they look like the pages of a book. This is an old style of lung that does not expand and contact like our lungs. It’s actually a series of thin plates that are highly vascular and the entire surface area of the plates can transfer oxygen and carbon dioxide. This is where the slits in the opisthosoma become important. These slits allow the oxygen in and the carbon dioxide out.
 
Now these lungs are highly reliant on the pumping of the heart. The heart moves the hemolymph throughout the body of the tarantula. Hemolymph is the tarantula’s equivalent of mammalian blood, but the hemolymph does not stay in a maze of arteries and veins like our blood; instead, the heart pumps the hemolymph through arteries in the body that release the hemolymph directly into the body to oxygenate and feed the cells of the body. That’s why it looks all goopy when you squish a bug.
 
The tarantula relies on the thin plates of the book lungs being coated in hemolymph to help keep them oxygenated. It is incredibly important that both sections of the body get hemolymph and the pedicel is the structure that connects the prosoma to the opisthosoma. Sections of the heart, stomach and nervous system also run through the pedicel.
 
I know this a a lot of talk about tarantula anatomy, but I want to discuss one last really cool thing about their legs before I end this episode. The legs are all attached to the prosoma and every leg has about thirty muscles that move it, but the muscles can only retract the legs they cannot extend the legs.  We’ve all seen tarantulas walking, so how do they extend their legs? Their hemolymph! They rely on the pressure created by the hemolymph pumping through their body to extend their legs! How truly amazing is that!
 
In the beginning of this episode I said we’d talk about why scientists classify tarantulas and spiders in different families. Now that we’ve talked about their anatomy we can revisit this. There are two anatomical differences between tarantulas and other spiders, one is the book lungs. Tarantulas have book lungs while other spiders have more modern lungs. The second difference involves their mouth parts. Tarantulas can only move their mouth parts up and down while other spiders can move their mouth parts side to side. These two differences are significant enough to cause scientists to classify them in separate families. 
 
I hope you’ve enjoyed this look at tarantula anatomy because it is my first favorite thing about this misunderstood animal. 
 
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. 
(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.