Tarantula

Tarantulas are a group of "hairy" and often very large spiders belonging to the family Theraphosidae. Approximately 900 species have been found.  Some tarantulas hunt prey in trees and some hunt on the ground. All tarantulas can make silk. They use silk to make shelters like tube tents in trees, to line burrows if they live on the ground, and they all use silk to wrap up prey before they eat it. It is easy to see a tarantula turning around and around in one spot with the prey in its mouth, but it is hard to see the silk coming out because it is small in diameter (thickness) and transparent. These spiders are found in warmer regions around the world. 
Tarantulas' predators are normally big snakes or creatures such as the Tarantula Eating Wasp. Defenses are camouflage and fangs.

 References 



 Other websites 

International Societies
 American Tarantula Society Headquarters
 The British Tarantula Society
 German Arachnologic Society
 The Australian Tarantula Association 

American Societies
 SFBATS - San Francisco Bay Area Tarantula Society  
 N-TEC · Nebraska Tarantula Enthusiasts Club 
 MTTG · Middle Tennessee Tarantula Group

Other sites
 Tarantulas.us - Forums  - Tarantula Discussion Boards and Caresheets.
 Arachnoboards - Arachnid discussion board
 Tarantula care - Gallery of tarantulas and other arachnids.
 Tarantulas.us - Gallery  - Photo gallery of tarantula's species.
 How to Pick a tarantula and Care for a tarantula
 Birdspiders.com - Rick C. West's Site. Includes a gallery of tarantula pictures by species in alphabetical order.
 Caresheets of several tarantula species 
 Information on tarantulas, scorpions, and other invertebrates
 Stanley A. Schultz and Marguerite J. Schultz, "Common and scientific name correlations of the theraphosid tarantulas", University of Calgary 
 Tarantulas Photo Gallery  Tarantula photos (Mexican Red Knee, Green Bottle Blue, Salmon Pink etc.)

Category:Mygalomorphae
Category:Venomous animals