How many species of tarantulas are there?
As the world’s largest spiders, tarantulas are both feared and beloved. There are more than 850 species of these often hairy, nocturnal arachnids. Tarantulas live primarily in the tropical, subtropical, and desert areas of the world, with the majority found in South America.
What category is a tarantula?
Arachnida
Tarantula
| Tarantula Temporal range: | |
|---|---|
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Subphylum: | Chelicerata |
| Class: | Arachnida |
What are the 2 types of tarantulas?
10 Different Types of Tarantulas
- Mexican Redknee Tarantulas (Brachypelma smithi)
- Chilean Rose Tarantulas (Grammostola rosea)
- Costa Rican Zebra Tarantulas (Aphonoplema seemani)
- Mexican Redleg Tarantulas (Brachypelma emilia)
- Honduran Curly Hair Tarantulas (Brachypelma albopilosum)
What is the difference between tarantula and spider?
Tarantulas are spiders. But they differ from other spiders in many ways – they’re larger than most spider species, have more hair, prefer warmer weather, their fangs are pointed down, and create silk-like trip webs to get alerted and catch other animals.
Why are they called tarantulas?
The name tarantula was originally given to the wolf spider, Lycosa tarentula, of southern Europe and was derived from the town of Taranto, Italy. The bite of L. tarentula was once thought to cause a disease known as tarantism, in which the victim wept and skipped about before going into a wild dance (see tarantella).
What is the largest tarantula in the world?
Goliath bird-eating tarantula
The Goliath bird-eating tarantula is the biggest tarantula in the world. The body measures up to 4.75 inches (12 centimeters) with a leg span of up to 11 inches (28 centimeters).
Why tarantulas are not true spiders?
The confusing part, is that Araneomorphs are considered “true” spiders, while the other two orders are considered less evolved and more primitive. Tarantulas belong to the Mygalomorph group, and so using the current terminology, they are not “true spiders”.
What are tarantulas good for?
In my world, they’re mostly good, especially because tarantulas are highly effective insectivores, eating hearty amounts of the crickets, grasshoppers, beetles, and caterpillars that are the bane of our gardens.