Family ties and homeland of spiders, types of tarantulas and their features, tips on keeping a spider, distinctive features of a tarantula and a tarantula, purchase and its price. Most of the inhabitants of the large planet Earth, hearing about such a living creature as a tarantula, do not experience any fear. In this not so large representative of the living world of the planet, many see a dangerous "predator", but there is another category of people, they increasingly bring this spider into their house as a pet.
When it comes to choosing your lesser friend, it will be up to you to decide whether it will be a cat or dog familiar to everyone, or a tarantula that is not familiar to anyone, only you. Many believe that these insects do not live in our world in vain and deserve love and attention from people no less than others.
By acquiring such a companion, you will undoubtedly amaze most of your circle of acquaintances with your new pet. Someone may condemn you, and someone will decide that you are an extraordinary and courageous person who is not afraid of criticism from others and even in such a matter as choosing a pet, you are guided by your personal feelings, tastes and preferences.
In fact, keeping such an extraordinary creature in your home is an amusing and interesting business, but one cannot say that it is elementary. Therefore, in order not to face unpleasant circumstances, you should get to know your future tenant better and how to properly care for him, so that he and you feel good and comfortable.
Generic affiliation of the tarantula and its native places
Tarantulas (Latin Lycosa) - these interesting living creatures originate from a large friendly family, which is known as wolf spiders (Latin Lucosidae). Also, scientists attributed them to the class of arachnids and to the infraorder of araneomorphic spiders. The natural distribution area of these poisonous arthropods is quite wide. It seems possible to meet them in different parts of our planet and in a wide variety of climatic conditions: from forest-steppe to deserts, which are located in the southern part of Europe, America, Asia and even in the northern territories of Africa. It is quite possible to see them on the territory of Austria, Italy, Ukraine and Russia, Spain, Greece and Portugal, Belarus, Romania and Argentina, in Uruguay and Morocco, Egypt and in many other countries of the world.
In open nature, tarantulas are predominantly nocturnal. In the daytime, they are very rarely seen on the surface of the earth, most often they rest at this time and gain strength in their dwellings, which they design on their own. Their house is quite long vertical burrows, in depth they can reach over 70 cm. With the onset of night, the arthropod leaves its home and sets off to meet various spider delicacies.
Description of the varieties of tarantulas
If we talk about the various species of representatives of the genus of these arachnids, then in nature there are about 210-220 individuals. This number includes those that are considered extinct. The most popular and studied wolf spiders are presented to your attention.
Apulian tarantula
Lycosa tarantula. It is also sometimes referred to as a real tarantula. Countries such as Egypt, Morocco, Sudan, Libya, Italy, Spain and Portugal are honored by his Fatherland. The favorite habitats in open nature for this arthropod are various mountain slopes.
As for the external appearance of these creatures, they differ among themselves depending on the sexual characteristics of the individual. The female spider is endowed by nature with a complex combined color, which is presented as follows: her head and chest have darker tones, which end in a lighter contrasting line, the main color of the abdominal surface is red, but there is also some ornament consisting of several stripes placed transversely, the stripes, in turn, have a beautiful white and red edging. The male, perhaps, does not look so impressive. His body has a more monochromatic color scheme, which, compared to the female sex, looks more modest. The entire body of the spider is wrapped in thick enough hairs.
The sizes of these arthropods also differ according to gender. Females are larger and their length ranges from 22 to 28 mm, while males, in turn, are much smaller, they grow only up to 17–19 mm.
This spider has four pairs of eyes, of which the main and secondary ones are distinguished. The main pair has a dark brown color, but the side eyes are distinguished by a bright shine. This is due to the fact that their inner shell serves as a reflector for them. The presence of such a number of visual organs provides these creatures with a wide enough field of view, which helps them in their search for food.
The limbs of tarantulas also have some features. Their muscular system consists only of flexor muscles, and extension occurs due to the optimal hemolymph pressure.
They go to hunt only at night, but if the spider is lucky and his victim is near his burrow, he, in no case, will not miss the opportunity to feast on it. When the tarantula managed to catch its food, which most often are various insects, it immediately grabs it with chelicera and begins to let in its poison. In the event that the prey is rather large, he skillfully rotates it so that poisonous substances fall on all sides of the insect. It also feeds on beetles and other Orthoptera.
The process of reproduction in these arachnids usually begins at the end of summer. After mating, the expectant mother lays eggs in some cozy mink, and makes a cocoon for them from the web. Then she attaches it to herself and wears it all the time, waiting for the appearance of the spider-children. After the babies are born, they are on the mother's body for some time and travel with her. Later they spread throughout the area and begin their independent existence. The litter of one female is quite big and amounts to about 250-300 individuals.
South Russian tarantula
Lycosa singoriensis. It is also called mizgir. The natural habitat of this South Russian spider is quite large, it can be seen in various gardens, fields, vegetable gardens, steppes, deserts and semi-deserts, which are located in the territories of Ukraine, Russia, Belarus and some countries of Central Asia.
Adult representatives of the wolf bunch family are not large in size, which differ slightly in females and males. The female can grow up to about 35–40 mm, but the males are smaller and their body dimensions do not exceed 23–25 mm.
The color of the body can change, this phenomenon depends on the conditions of the external habitat of the spiders, namely on the color of the soil on which it lives. Therefore, in nature there are black, black-brown, brown and even reddish tarantulas. The main color of their outer shell is usually diluted with specks, which can have a wide variety of shapes and sizes.
A characteristic feature of this representative of predatory insects is the presence of a "headdress" - this is a large dark spot that adorns the head of the arachnite. His dwelling is also a vertical burrow, up to 50 cm deep, the entrance to which is protected by some layer of soil, grass and plant remains. If it is time for torrential rains outside or a spider is undergoing a molting process, then the protection of its home is strengthened with a small amount of earth and cobwebs.
Mizgiri also hunt without using a web, but simply wait for their prey to appear in the radius they need.
Their average lifespan is about 3-5 years, there is information that females live a little longer than males.
Lycosa narbonensis. Spiders of this species are considered natives of countries such as Italy, France, Malta, they are also found in northern Africa. The body color of this arthropod is black with a kind of brownish tint. Their long limbs are densely covered with hairs. This specimen grows up to approximately 50-60 mm.
Spanish tarantula
Lycosa hispanica. This obligate predator has recently acquired the right to take its place in arachnology, as a separate species, since 2013. Until that time, he was known to everyone as a subspecies of the Apulian tarantula. This arachnid creature lives in North Africa and southern Europe. They use the smallest invertebrates as food, but according to some sources, these predatory insects also eat their relatives. So in the family of the Spanish tarantula, cannibalism is quite common.
Orange tarantula
Lycosa erythrognatha. He is also known to the world under the name Brazilian red tarantula. This representative of arthropods is rather large in size compared to its congeners, and can grow up to 150-170 mm. The body of this spider is painted in dark brown colors, its entire surface is covered with thick hair. His diet contains not only insects, but also crickets and newborn mice.
If we talk about this as an arthropod as a pet, then special care should be taken here. The thing is that this tarantula is very wayward by nature, in an excited state it may not show any aggression, for this reason, people who have never encountered spiders at home before, it is better to refrain from this idea and choose more friendly arachnite.
Growing a tarantula at home
If you decide that you want to have such an unusual friend at home, then you can be completely calm - caring for him requires a minimum of effort. For this reason, if you are a busy person, but want to get a little friend, you made the right choice. Having provided him with the necessary living conditions at the very beginning of your friendship, we can assume that the most difficult thing is over.
Usually, small terrariums serve as home for arthropods in indoor conditions. A prerequisite for your comfortable living together will be the presence of a cover for the terrarium. After all, one must not forget for a second that this is still a spider. And he tends to weave a web that can serve as a ladder from his house to yours, as well as that this is a poisonous creature and his bite, although not fatal, is nevertheless not very pleasant.
It is also recommended to equip his home so that he can sometimes retire. For the construction of shelters, natural materials, such as tree crowns or various branches, are best suited. And you will not have to spend money, and your pupil will feel almost like in his native lands.
Floor decking should be made of moss, sand, earth and clay. It must be remembered that this spider is still a hard worker and loves to build houses for himself with his own hands, so the flooring layer should allow the inhabitant of the terrarium to dig at least a small burrow for himself. A necessary attribute in his house will be a container that will always be filled with clean drinking water and a small pool. It is in the pool that he will swim. After all, the most common cause of death for tarantulas is dehydration. To prevent such an unpleasant situation, it is also necessary to carry out regular spraying of its territory.
The temperature in his "apartment" should always be in the range of 24-28 degrees, and the humidity of the air at least 50%.
- Menu for a big-eyed pet. The diet of a domestic tarantula is not much different from this process in the wild. Its food list should include a variety of living things that fit the size of your domestic arachnite, such as cockroaches, crickets, small worms, and grasshoppers. The regularity of food intake varies depending on the age category of your arthropod. If this is a young individual, then it must be fed twice a week, but if we are talking about an adult spider, then the optimal frequency of food intake is once every 8-10 days. You must immediately remove the leftovers from your companion's "table". It will be very nice to feed your tenant from time to time with various vitamin complexes, which will have a very positive effect on his health, and, accordingly, on the duration of his life period.
- Correct neighborhood. It is not recommended to settle several individuals in one terrarium, this can not only provoke their aggression in each other, but in a fit of anger they will simply eat each other.
- Communication with a poisonous friend. "Everything has its time!" - this saying is, by the way, suitable for tarantulas. After some time, he will get used to you and will not perceive you as an object that poses a threat to him. You should pick up this peculiar pet carefully and carefully, avoiding sudden movements.
Danger of an arthropod to humans
Tarantulas are by their nature poisonous creatures, but the poisonous substances they release when they bite are not particularly dangerous for humans, and the bite itself is not very painful. Many say that when bitten, a person experiences the same sensations as when a bee or bumblebee stings.
At the site of the lesion, some swelling, hyperemia, numbness of the affected skin area may form, and painful sensations are also present. But in our world there is another category of people - people with a history of allergies. It is in them that a spider bite can provoke an allergy attack, which can lead to the development of anaphylactic shock. For this reason, it is better, after contact with insect poison, to see a specialist.
There is one more feature of these obligate predators, it is, of course, less dangerous, but also not very pleasant - this is the hair on the legs of a spider. If he feels that he is in danger, he begins to comb them intensively. Therefore, after contact with your poisonous comrade, you need to immediately wash your hands so that these hairs do not accidentally get into your eyes.
Distinctive features of tarantulas and tarantulas
Unfortunately, very often you have to notice that many people call tarantulas tarantulas and vice versa, and with absolute confidence that they are right. There is a very significant difference between them. Firstly, this is their size, tarantulas are much larger than miniature ones in comparison with tarantulas. Secondly, the direction of movement of their oral appendages - chelicera - also differs: in tarantulas, like in all wolf spiders, they move towards each other, and in tarantulas - in a parallel direction. And the most impressive difference between these arthropods is their generic affiliation. Tarantulas are wolf spiders, but tarantulas are tarantulas.
Spider acquisition and price
Despite the fact that keeping spiders at home is not very common, but still buying it does not present any particular difficulties. Every day, the demand for them is growing more and more, for this reason, these many-eyed creatures flaunt on the windows of most pet stores. The price for them directly depends on the type of tarantula, on average it is equal to 500-800 rubles.
For more on tarantula spiders, see this video:
