Tarantulas And Us

#Tarantula_Tuesday , Post #1

What Are Tarantulas ?

Alot of people , unfamiliar with arachnids does not know what tarantulas are .

Tarantulas get their name from the fact that they are said to be able to hunt birds . 

"Is this true ? I don't know ?"

So what are tarantulas ?

Tarantulas are invertebrates , meaning they do not have a skeleton , tarantulas are only able to move due to hard and soft parts in their skin , making them not just only invertebrates but arthropods as well .

How Do Tarantulas Grow ?

As much as you and I grow from the presence of our bones , tarantulas are forced to molt.

Example : People grow within their jacket , untill they get to big for it , and then get rid of it. Replacing the old jacket with a new larger jacket.

Tarantulas do the same .

Tarantulas will grow within their skin , untill they get to big for it , then the tarantula molts. 

Replacing the old skin with fresh new skin , being larger than the previous molt it left behind.

Are Tarantulas Venomous / Poisonous ?

                      ( Samantha Nixon)

First of all i would like to clear this up as some people out there doesn't know the difference between venomous and poisonous.

Tarantulas are not harmless , they all do have venom , from your Brachypelma Species untill your Atrax Species . Their venom is not lethal towards humans , but can cause some discomfort towards the bitten victim , or hospitlization in worst cases . Tarantulas inject venom using their fangs making them venomous to some extent.

Poisonous are something that has been ingested and not injected.

Tarantulas And Socialization

Alot of new tarantula owners like to ask this question .

"Can I Hold My Tarantula And Pet It ?"

"Yes, of course you can !" Is one of the many lies petshops will tell you ! 

My response to this is simple . Tarantulas are display animals ONLY and not for petting or interaction !

Some tarantulas will be more docile than others . Tarantulas are placed into 2 categories .

New World Tarantulas are tarantulas ranging from North , Central and South America and are more docile and open to interactions than Old World Tarantulas . Beware New World Tarantulas are not harmless as they still do have venom , although not as potent as Old World Tarantulas . They also have urticating hairs which shoot like tiny little daggers into your skin , causing the worst irritating itch known to man .

Old World Tarantulas are tarantulas ranging elsewhere excluding North , Central and South America . These tarantulas are the complete opposite of New World Tarantulas and does not throw off urticating hairs but certainly makes up for defense with their potent venom , they will not hesitate to give a threat pose , and a bite from them will likely send you to the ER in agonising pain .

My conclusion : I hope this blog post has been helpfull and awnsered some questions everyone had . 

Do tons of research on a specific species you want to keep , before getting the desired species.

What do you think of this post ? Let us know in the comments section .

JD De Vos