Earth spider. What to do if bitten by a tarantula

Tarantulas are a genus of large, venomous araneomorph spiders that belong to the wolf spider family. Preferred Environment The habitats of tarantulas are steppes, deserts and other arid areas. However, they can also be found in forest-steppe zone. During the daytime, spiders hide in vertical burrows, and at night they come to the surface to hunt insects. They use their web exclusively for covering walls and forming an egg cocoon, and not for weaving trapping nets.

All tarantulas are poisonous to a greater or lesser extent. Their venom-producing apparatus includes cheliceral segments, claws, venom-producing glands and ducts. Venom-producing glands are located in the cephalothorax. The ducts of the glands pass through the claws and open to back side each tip. When attacked, the muscular layer of the gland contracts and a transparent oily drop of a toxic substance with a diameter of up to 0.5 mm is thrown out.

How to protect yourself from a tarantula bite

Tarantulas do not usually attack humans first. In most cases, it is the females who bite, who are protecting their cocoon with eggs or newly hatched spiders. Therefore, to protect yourself from their bites, it is enough to follow a few basic rules:

• Firstly, for parking in the field, give preference to flat areas without stones, cracks, or tufts of dry grass.
• Secondly, close the entrance to the tent tightly.
• Thirdly, carefully inspect bedding before going to bed and clothes and shoes before using for their intended purpose.
• Fifthly, do not collect brushwood or dry grass for a fire at night.
• Sixth, do not allow children to remove a tarantula from its hole using a wax or plasticine ball attached to a thread.
• Seventh, install special protective nets on windows in rooms.
• Eighth, when you spot tarantulas, do not tease them. Remember, when they sense danger, they can jump up and bite a person.
• Ninth, use special insecticides to kill tarantulas.

What are the consequences of a tarantula bite?

As already mentioned, all tarantulas are poisonous. The severity of poisoning largely depends on the race, gender, age of the spider, season and other factors.

In April, newly awakened tarantulas are very inert. The venom of a female of a large race is slightly toxic. In mid-May, the period of oviposition begins, and their activity increases, and with it the toxicity of the poison increases by 2 times. At the beginning of June, that is, during the period of mating and migration, the toxicity of tarantula venom increases another 3 times. And only in mid-September, before the spiders winter, the toxicity of their venom decreases by 2 times. In mid-August, immature females of the large race (10th instar) secrete a significantly less toxic poison than mature females. The toxicity of the venom of a young tarantula of a small race, which is also weakened by wintering, is characterized by the least toxicity.

Tarantula venom has a neurogenic effect on the central and peripheral nervous systems and can cause neuromuscular disorders, disturbances in the functioning of the cardiovascular, respiratory systems. First of all, the central nervous system, there is an increase in the tone of the vasomotor center. Then the central nervous system and vasomotors are depleted.

In the south of the European part of the Russian Federation, the South Russian tarantula is most common. It can also be found in Ukraine and Belarus. Its bites are shallow. The poison gets into the skin and does not pose a threat to human life. It can lead to serious problems only in people susceptible to allergic reactions and in children. Often the body reacts to a tarantula bite in much the same way as it does to a couple of bee stings. However, a spider bite causes more painful sensations, than a bee, and is somewhat reminiscent of a wasp or hornet sting. At the site of the bite, two spots are clearly visible, which are located at a distance of 3-15 mm from each other. These are traces of chelicerae.

Symptoms of a South Russian tarantula bite:

• local pain,
• redness of the skin at the site of the bite,
• edema,
• local tissue necrosis,
• general malaise,
• state of drowsiness,
• short-term increase in body temperature.

Some victims may develop an allergic reaction to a tarantula bite, which is accompanied by severe pain, swelling, itching and a rash around the bitten area. In severe cases, difficulty breathing, nausea, vomiting, dizziness, etc. are observed.

What not to do if you are bitten by a tarantula

• Do not cauterize the bite site. Most toxicologists consider this method to be very ineffective and even dangerous.
• It is also not recommended to cut the affected area, as this can lead to infection.
• You should not rub or scratch the wound for the same reason as described in the previous paragraph.

What measures can you take if you are bitten by a tarantula?

• 1. Wash the bitten area warm water with antibacterial soap or, if it is not available, with plain hand soap, being careful not to scrub the skin too much.
• 2. Treat the wound with an antiseptic.
• 3. Apply cold to the affected area. It could be ice, a bottle of cold water etc. Keep the cold for 10 minutes, then take a 10-minute break and repeat the procedure again. Continue these manipulations until the pain subsides.
• 4. To eliminate swelling, lift the bitten part of the body and keep it in this position.
• 4. Stay calm.
• 5. Drink plenty of fluids, this will ensure faster removal of toxins from the body.
• 6. If an allergic reaction occurs, take antihistamines.

If a tarantula has bitten a child or a person with a weakened immune system who is prone to allergic reactions, if the victim’s well-being sharply worsens, you should mandatory seek medical help.

Interesting facts about tarantulas and their bites

• In several European languages, including English, the word tarantula often refers to tarantula spiders. Therefore, there may be some confusion with the translation. In the current biological taxonomy, “tarantulas” and “tarantulas” do not overlap in any way.
• The most famous all over the world is the Apulian tarantula. He lives in Italy. And it is especially common in the vicinity of the city of Taranto. In the Middle Ages, the Apulian tarantula was considered very poisonous and various painful seizures were attributed to it, in which sick people danced until exhaustion. To heal, they played certain music, and this is how the popular tarantella dance appeared.
• IN folk medicine In recent years, vegetable oil infused with the tarantulas themselves was often used to treat tarantula poisoning. Since the blood of these spiders contains an antidote to the secretion of their poisonous glands, this method cannot but be considered rational.

Among the representatives of the wolf spider family there are really interesting specimens, for example, tarantulas - large poisonous araneomorphic spiders that became famous during the Middle Ages. The genus of tarantulas includes 220 species, of which the most famous are the South Russian tarantula, which lives in Russia and Ukraine, and the Apulian tarantula, originally from the Italian city of Taranto, which gave the common name to all representatives of the genus.

South Russian Tarantula or Mizgir.

Tarantula Apulian (female).

South Russian Tarantula or Mizgir.

Tarantula Lycosa aragogi, endemic to Iran.

Contrary to popular belief, a tarantula bite is not dangerous to humans, causes only slight swelling and resembles a wasp sting. But in the middle of the 15th century they did not think so and attributed terrible misfortunes to large spiders living in the vicinity of Taranto. It was believed that a person bitten by a tarantula would inevitably go crazy and end his life in terrible agony, so people invented the same ridiculous antidote for a spider bite. According to the authoritative opinion of healers of those times, only crazy dancing to the point of exhaustion can save a person from death, and interestingly, this is how the world came to know the tarantella - one of the most famous Italian folk dances.

What does a tarantula look like?

In the photo, the tarantula strongly resembles a tarantula spider, but the latter is a mygalomorphic spider and is particularly large in size.

Tarantulas - pretty big spiders, growing up to 10 cm in length with a body weight of about 90 g. The size of the legendary Apulian tarantulas usually does not exceed 7 cm, southern Russian relatives are much smaller and grow up to 2.5 - 3.5 cm. Females of any species are larger than males.

The fluffy body of the tarantula is formed by two sections: the cephalothorax and abdomen, connected by a thin hollow bridge - a stalk. Top part The body is covered with a dense chitinous shell, the stomach remains defenseless. There are 4 pairs of eyes on the head, allowing one to see the blurry outlines of prey at a distance of 20 - 30 cm.

The long legs of predators are densely strewn with sensitive hairs, which play an important tactile role in searching for prey and protect the spider from natural enemies. When in contact with human skin, the hairs can cause an allergic reaction.

South Russian tarantula or Mizgir: close-up view of the muzzle.

South Russian Tarantula or Mizgir: macro photography.

South Russian tarantula or Mizgir: macro photography.

Protective coloration allows tarantulas to successfully camouflage themselves against the background of the surrounding landscape. Apulian tarantulas are painted in dark colors with a light edging; the abdomen of females is red, decorated with one longitudinal and several transverse ones. black and white stripes. You can recognize the South Russian tarantula in the photo by its black belly and brown-red top.

Habitat and lifestyle

Tarantulas are typical inhabitants of deserts, semi-deserts and arid steppe regions of Eurasia, Central and South America, North Africa, Australia.

These nocturnal predators during the day prefer to hole up in burrows up to 60 cm deep, camouflaged by fallen leaves. Tarantulas do not build trapping nets, but use cobwebs to frame the walls of the burrow, and females weave a cocoon from threads to bear offspring.

Tarantula hole, steppe of Kherson region.

With the onset of darkness, tarantulas go out hunting, lying in wait for prey right in their hiding place or wandering around the surrounding area. The tarantula's hunting method is characteristic of most wolf spiders: the predator pounces on prey, paralyzing or killing it with its poison, and then sucks out the contents.

Tarantula hunting without leaving its hole. Uzbekistan - 04/05/2008.

The basis of the diet of tarantulas consists mainly of insects and their larvae: flies, cockroaches, crickets, beetles, as well as smaller representatives of their own order. Enlarged photos of tarantulas eating their prey are quite impressive.

Meadow moth in the arms of the South Russian tarantula.

Reproduction

The mating season of these spiders occurs at the end of summer - beginning of autumn. The male, having noticed the female, begins a kind of dance, invitingly shaking and tapping his especially developed forelimbs. The female responds something similar and folds her front legs, which becomes a signal for the male to mate. Upon completion of the process, the male hurries to retreat, and the fertilized female hibernates in a tightly sealed burrow.

Tarantula got its name during the Renaissance in Italy. Residents of those times were afraid of this type of spider, therefore, their main action in case of its bite was to carry out various movements of a chaotic order. Later, these movements began to be performed to the music and gave the name to this action - the tarantella dance, but the culprit of all this began to be called the tarantula. This is the most famous story about the origin of the spider; a lot of time has passed since then and in modern society the domestic tarantula has become a favorite, which is kept by extraordinary personalities on a par with or. In fact, a tarantula cannot cause mortal harm to a person, despite all its threatening appearance; its bite can be compared to a wasp or bee sting.

Types and way of life of spiders

The tarantula is a member of the wolf spider. These are nocturnal inhabitants, so during the day they sleep in their burrows, but at night they go in search of prey. Tarantulas use the web they weave not for trapping, but as decoration for the walls of their home, or to decorate a cocoon during oviposition.

An interesting fact is the length of the tarantula's hole; it can have a depth of 0.6 m, and in the cold season, tarantulas are able to burrow to a distance of a whole meter.
Most similar to a tarantula in its own way appearance– . If you do not pay attention to the differences in size, they have an external similarity, so most people confuse these two species with each other.

However, they have different classifications: tarantulas are wolf spiders, and tarantulas are descended from tarantula spiders.
The biggest difference between the two species is the way the spider's jaws work. Their movements are made in different directions. Tarantulas work with their jaws towards each other, but tarantulas work with their chylicerae in a parallel direction.

Appearance

Tarantulas have quite big size, reaching about 30 centimeters. Moreover, females are significantly larger than males. The entire spider is covered with hair that is brown, brown or gray, it depends on what species the spider belongs to.

The largest representatives of tarantulas live in the vast expanses of South America, but individuals living in the European expanses generally have a body size of no more than five centimeters.
An interesting fact about the structure of a spider's body is the number of eyes. The tarantula has as many as eight of them, which allows it to easily cover the visual area in the horizontal and vertical plane.

Keeping a tarantula at home is not much different from keeping a tarantula spider. For one individual, it is enough to equip a small terrarium, based on the principle - the size of the terrarium should be approximately 2 times larger size individuals. So, for example, for a spider measuring 15 cm, a terrarium measuring 30x30x30 cm is suitable. The optimal temperature for keeping a tarantula ranges from +18 to +30° Celsius.

As a filler, you can use peat or coconut substrate moistened with water. For tropical species the filler should be more moist than for species that natural environment live in drier areas.

The use of sawdust as bedding for the spider should be avoided. The use of coniferous trees is strictly prohibited.

Maintain humidity in the terrarium by spraying water over the substrate. For individuals under one year of age, regardless of their habitat in the natural environment, water should be sprayed at least once a week. The terrarium should also be equipped with a saucer of water. It is advisable to change the water at least once a day.

The domestic tarantula is an asocial animal; it is usually recommended to keep one individual in one terrarium.

For arboreal subspecies, the terrarium should be equipped with thick tree branches along which the spider could climb and weave a web. For this variety of tarantula, a terrarium should be chosen with high walls.

For burrowing tarantulas, a deeper bedding should be made of peat or other substrate in which the spider could dig tunnels and arrange a shelter.

Place the cage with your pet so that it is not exposed to direct Sun rays. During the cold season, you cannot heat the cage with a regular incandescent lamp. Use a heating element for this purpose. But make sure that it does not dry out the air in the cage and the spider’s bedding.

Cleaning the cage

You need to clean your pet’s cage once every couple of months. To do this, move the spider to a smaller room (a three-liter jar will be enough). Remove any remaining food and spider activity, and change the substrate in the cage.

While there is no spider in the cage, it is recommended to wash the cage completely once every six months. Avoid using it for these purposes. chemical substances(powders and all possible sprays). Simple clean water will be quite enough.

Features of feeding

So, what should you feed your pet tarantula? This question may arise for those who are planning to envy themselves such a pet. This nocturnal predator eats all living creatures that are smaller in size. Various insects (crickets, grasshoppers, cockroaches), as well as small mammals, are quite suitable for food.

Tarantulas have external digestion. The whole process of eating consists in the fact that the spider injects poison and digestive juices into the victim, and only then sucks in the digested decomposed tissues of the victim.

You can feed an adult tarantula no more than once a week.

Once a month, multivitamins are mixed into the meat ball, and calcium gluconate is added once every two weeks. The raw “meatball” is given to the spider directly into its paws.

If you live in remote areas of the city or rural areas, then you can feed the tarantula with insects that you caught on the street. In a busy city, feeding a tarantula with street insects is not a good idea.

Avoid unsuitable food for the tarantula - other predators of the same size as your ward can feast on the tarantula themselves. Such individuals include scolopendra, praying mantises, and other spiders.

Once fed, the domestic tarantula stops reacting to potential food and will not hunt for it. But there are times when the owner of the tarantula should stop feeding. A signal for this will be the abdomen enlarged by 1.5-2 times in relation to the cephalothorax. If the spider's feeding process is not stopped in time, this can lead to rupture of the abdomen.

If your pet tarantula refuses food for two to three weeks, there is no need to panic. A pet tarantula can go without food for a month without any harm to its health.

If the pet is full and refuses the second or third insect in a row, kill the potential food and leave it in the terrarium overnight. If the spider does not touch the victim during the night, simply throw away the insect.

During and after molting, it is better not to feed spiders at all. The start of feeding is determined by the duration of the moult, adding 3-4 days to the number of molts. After the molting is over, the domestic tarantula will be ready to hunt and eat again.

Habitats

Many people are interested in where the tarantula lives in order to avoid meeting it. For example, residents of the middle, eastern, and northern Russia are unlikely to encounter this arthropod in natural areas, since it is not typical for them to live in such climatic zone, unless it is possible to meet a tarantula at home as a pet.

But in the southern part Russian Federation, Europe, as well as in African, American and Asian spaces, there are plenty of tarantulas.

Interesting fact: to date, scientists have discovered more than two hundred species of tarantula.

Features of reproduction

The method of reproduction of tarantulas is practically no different from other species of its relatives. It all starts with a specific mating dance, thanks to which males capture the attention of females. It is by this action that the female determines the male she needs. Tarantulas perform the following steps for the breeding process:

• The male sets out to look for the female at the end of summer, as the instincts of procreation take possession of him.
• Having chosen a suitable female that he likes, he performs a mating dance.
• If the female is satisfied with the partner, she repeats exactly the same movements with which her partner has just lured her.
• Next, the mating of the tarantulas itself occurs, after which the male quickly leaves so as not to become food for his female. In this regard, males are much faster than their spider relatives.

After the entire process is completed, the female finds a warm hole for wintering, where she remains until spring.

With the arrival of warmer weather, the female develops eggs; depending on the type of spider, their number can reach 700 pieces. Next, she forms a cocoon from her web on her stomach to accommodate eggs, which she will carry throughout the entire time until the moment of hatching of the young comes.

Before small individuals appear, the female gnaws through the cocoon and releases them into the wild. But they do not leave her, but simply climb onto the mother’s back, where they remain until the period of independent feeding begins.

Impact of a bite

People who have been stung by a tarantula compare it to the same sensation as being stung by a bee or wasp.

The best way to numb a wound after a tarantula bite is to treat it with an antidote from the body of the predator itself, which will have to be crushed to obtain it.
Remember! The domestic tarantula is a venomous arthropod and its venom affects its prey, but it is not a lethal threat to humans, although it can be painful. Therefore, it is necessary to follow safety rules when keeping pet tarantulas, and then your pet will bring you only positive emotions.

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Origin of the species and description

The genus Lycosa comes from the family. The name of the species originated in the Renaissance. In the past, Italian cities were infested with these arachnids, which is why many bites were recorded, accompanied by convulsions. The disease was called tarantism. Most of the bites were recorded in the city of Taranto, where the name of the spider came from.

Interesting fact: To recover, medieval healers instructed patients to dance until they dropped, the Italian dance tarantella, which also originated in Taranto, located in the south. Doctors believed that only this would save those bitten from death. There is a version that all this was arranged for feasts hidden from the eyes of the authorities.

The genus belongs to the phylum arthropods and has 221 subspecies. The most famous of them is the Apulian tarantula. In the 15th century, its poison was believed to cause madness and a variety of epidemiological diseases. It has now been proven that the toxin has no effect on humans. The South Russian tarantula lives in the territory and is known for its black cap.

Interesting fact: The species Lycosa aragogi, found in, is named after the huge spider Aragog from the books about the young wizard Harry Potter.

In many European languages, the word tarantula refers to tarantulas. This leads to confusion when translating texts from foreign languages, in particular, from English. In modern biology, groups of tarantulas and tarantulas do not intersect. The former belong to araneomorphic spiders, the latter to mygalomorphic ones.

Appearance and features

The entire body of the spider is covered with small hairs. The structure of the body is divided into two main parts - the abdomen and the cephalothorax. There are 4 pairs of eyes on the head, 2 of which are small and arranged in a straight line, the rest form a trapezoid by their arrangement.

Video: Tarantula Spider

This placement allows you to see everything around in a 360-degree view. In addition to a well-developed visual apparatus, tarantulas have a hypersensitive sense of smell. This gives them the opportunity to smell prey at fairly large distances.

The sizes of arthropods are quite large:

• body length - 2-10 cm;
• leg length - 30 cm;
• females weigh up to 90 g.

Like other insects, female spiders are significantly larger than males. Throughout their lives, individuals molt several times. The more often this happens, the faster they age. On four pairs of long, hairy legs, the spider moves comfortably across sand or water surfaces. The forelimbs of males are more developed than those of females.

Interesting fact: The limbs can only bend, so the wounded individual becomes weak and vulnerable. The legs bend thanks to the flexor muscles, and extend under the pressure of the hemolymph. The skeleton of arachnids is also weak, so any fall could be their last.

Chelicerae (mandibles) are equipped with poisonous ducts. Thanks to them, arthropods can defend themselves or attack. The color of spiders is usually gray, brown or black. Sexual dimorphism is well developed. American tarantulas are considered the largest. Their European counterparts are significantly smaller in size.

Where does the tarantula spider live?

The habitats of the species are represented by a wide range - South part, Central and Asia Minor, . Representatives of the genus can be found in Russia, Italy, Ukraine,. Arthropods choose arid areas to live.

They live mainly in:

• gardens;
• vegetable gardens;
• on ;
• along the banks.

Most predatory spiders prefer to live in burrows that they dig themselves. They choose the location for their future home very carefully. The depth of vertical burrows can reach 60 centimeters. They move the pebbles to the side and rake out the soil with their paws. The walls of the tarantula's shelter are covered with cobwebs. It vibrates and allows you to assess the situation outside.

At the end of autumn, spiders prepare for winter and deepen their homes to a depth of 1 meter. The entrance to the hole is plugged with leaves and branches. In the spring, animals crawl out of the house and drag the web behind them. If it suddenly breaks off, there is a high probability that the animal will no longer find its shelter and will have to dig a new hole.

Now you know where does the tarantula spider live. Let's see what the poisonous spider eats.

What does the tarantula spider eat?

Tarantulas are the real predators. They wait for their victims from an ambush, and then quickly pounce on them.

The diet of arthropods includes many insects and amphibians:

• caterpillars;
• cockroaches;
• mole cricket;
• ground beetles;
• small .

Having caught prey, the arachnids inject their poison into it, thereby paralyzing it. When the poison begins to take effect, internal organs the victims turn into a liquid substance, which after some time the tarantulas suck out like a cocktail.

Typically, predators select prey according to their size and spread out their food intake over several days. Individuals can go without food for a long time, but having a constant source of water is a must. There is a known case where a female tarantula was able to go without food for two years.

Near the burrow, arachnids pull signal threads. As soon as they feel that someone is crawling past their home, they immediately crawl out and grab the prey. If the prey turns out to be large, the predator jumps back and jumps on it again to bite it again.

If the prey tries to retreat, the spider chases it for up to half an hour, occasionally inflicting new bites. All this time he tries to stay at a safe distance from the victim. Usually at the end of the battle the animal gets its way and gets a well-deserved lunch.

Features of character and lifestyle

Tarantulas, unlike their counterparts, do not spin webs. They are active hunters and prefer to catch prey on their own. They use webs as traps to find out about a beetle or other insect running past. Weaves can warn of approaching danger.

The arthropods sit in the hole all day, and in the evening they emerge from the shelter to hunt. With the onset of cold weather, they seal the entrance to their cave and hibernate. Among the individuals there are real long-livers. Some subspecies can exist up to 30 years. The main part of the species lives on average 3-10 years. Females have a longer lifespan.

The growth of the spider does not stop at any stage of development. Therefore, their exoskeleton changes several times as they grow older. This allows the animal to regrow lost limbs. With the next moult, the leg will grow back, but will be much smaller than the rest of the limbs. After the next molt, it will reach normal size.

Interesting fact: Spiders mostly move on the ground, but sometimes they climb trees or other objects. Tarantulas have claws on their paws, which they, like cats, extend to have better grip on the surface on which they climb.

Social structure and reproduction

The period of sexual activity occurs in the last month of summer. The male weaves a web, after which he begins to rub his belly against it. This provokes ejaculation of seminal fluid, which flows onto the web. The male plunges his pedipalps into it, which absorb sperm and become ready for fertilization.

Next comes the stage of searching for a female. Having found a suitable candidate, the male emits vibrations with his abdomen and performs ritual dances, which attracts females. They lure out hiding females by tapping their paws on the ground. If the partner reciprocates, the spider inserts its pedipalps into her cloaca and fertilization occurs.

Then the male quickly retreats so as not to become food for his chosen one. The female weaves a cocoon in the hole in which she lays eggs. Their number can reach 50-2000 pieces at a time. The female carries the offspring on herself for another 40-50 days. The hatched babies move from the mother's abdomen to the back and remain there until they are able to hunt on their own.

The spiderlings grow quickly and soon begin to taste the prey caught by their mother. After the first moult they scatter. By 2-3 years, predators become sexually mature. During this period, arthropods lose their instinct of self-preservation and are easy to meet in broad daylight.

Natural enemies of tarantula spiders

The tarantula has quite a few enemies. The main culprits in the death of arthropods are birds, since they are part of the diet of birds. make attempts on the life of arachnids, just as spiders do with their victims. They inject poison into the tarantula's body, paralyzing the predator.

The most dangerous enemy yet the same spider appears. Arthropods tend to eat each other. A female, during the process of fertilization, can encroach on the life of a male individual, like a female praying mantis, or eat her offspring if she cannot trap some insect.

There is continuous hostility between tarantulas and mole crickets. Their habitats overlap. Mole crickets dig the soil, where spiders often climb. Sometimes individuals manage to escape. Wounded or molting arthropods usually become food for the enemy.

Basically, the population suffers the most in early spring. When lethargic and sleepy arachnids crawl out of their shelters, the mole cricket is right there. Sometimes they climb into spider holes and attack tarantulas with their forelimbs, delivering heavy blows. When the spider loses a lot of blood, the mole cricket eats it.

Population and species status

Tarantulas are most common in forest-steppe, steppe and desert areas. Their numbers are gradually decreasing every year, but over the past ten years, wolf spiders have managed to stop the process of population decline and even stabilize it. Climate warming has had a beneficial effect on this.

One of the main reasons for the decline in arthropod numbers is commercial activity. In third world countries, arachnids are caught in order to sell them for little money and earn food. In countries with less developed economies, there has been a significant decline in the number of tarantulas.

From 1995 to 2004 in the Republic, the species was recorded in the Nizhnekamsk, Yelabuga, Zelenodolsk, Tetyushsky, Chistopol, and Almetyevsk regions, where its appearance was recorded from 3 to 10 times. Mostly, individuals are found alone.

They are being cut down at a significant rate due to population growth. They use artisanal methods for extracting gold and diamonds, which destroys the soil. Water is pumped underground, resulting in the integrity of the earth's surface. This, in turn, leads to negative consequences for the existence of the animal world.

Tarantula Spider Conservation

The South Russian tarantula, which has the second name Mizgir, is included in and classified as category 3 of species that are reducing their numbers; in, where he was assigned category 4 with an uncertain status; in category B3.

The limiting factors are active agricultural activities of humans, natural enemies, destruction of characteristic habitats, dry grass fell, change in level groundwater, trampling of wet biotopes, military operations in semi-deserts, increase in plowed areas.

The species is protected by the Zhigulevsky Nature Reserve, nature reserve"Prisursky" on the territory of the Batyrevsky site and the national park " Samara Luka" Conservation measures include educational work among residents to limit the catching of arthropods. There are farms for breeding tarantulas.

The protective measures that need to be applied include identifying natural places habitats of arachnids and providing the protection required for this species. The dry grass has stopped falling in the spring. Organization of NP "Zavolzhye". Restriction or termination economic activity, limiting chemicals for spraying plants, stopping livestock grazing.

Spider tarantula- not an aggressive animal. He will prefer to escape than attack a person. An attack can be provoked by the actions of people who touch the spider or get too close to the hole. Fortunately, the bite of a predator is comparable to a bee sting, and the blood of the spider itself can best neutralize the effect of the poison.

Tarantula is a genus of araneomorphic spiders belonging to the wolf spider family. They live mainly in arid areas such as steppes and deserts. During the day they hide in holes, and at night they go out hunting. Spiders scour the ground in search of insects. Tarantulas, unlike many other species, do not weave webs, but use the web only to strengthen their homes.

There are more than two hundred species of tarantulas in the world, inhabiting temperate and tropical climate. Some of them live in Russia.

Etymology of the name

This name comes from one of the varieties of spiders that live near the city of Taranto. According to local residents fifteenth century, spiders were the cause of the disease, called "Tarantism". According to legend, the bite of this spider infected unusual illness, which led to inevitable death, and the only possible way to heal there was a special, very energetic dance - the tarantella (known to this day). It was common to think that dance should draw all the strength out of the “patient” along with the disease.

Description of appearance

Tarantulas have a double, shaggy body and two pairs of four paws. It consists of two parts - the cephalothorax and abdomen. The spider's head has eight eyes that allow it to look around 360 degrees. Almost all subspecies are black or brown in color (there are bright exceptions).

American tarantulas are much larger than other species, they can reach ten centimeters, with a paw span of up to thirty centimeters. Tarantulas, which lived much shorter in Europe, rarely reach five centimeters. Males are smaller than females.

Many tarantulas are confused with other large spiders, for example, tarantulas (most people consider them to be tarantulas). This opinion is fundamentally incorrect, since the tarantula belongs to mygalomorphic spiders. Over time, the error became entrenched in society and culture.

The appearance of these beauties can be appreciated in the photo.

Lifestyle

The spider spends most of its time in a hole dug by its own efforts. Tarantula burrows can reach 25 centimeters deep. Inside each burrow, a wall of leaves and cobwebs is cultivated. To protect itself from rain or before the onset of winter, the spider goes even deeper and closes its “hut” with web and earth.

The tarantula is a predator, and therefore is often in search of prey. Spiders hunt mainly at night, sometimes during the day, waiting for prey near their home. Almost all careless insects fall under the insidious mites of tarantulas, among them: caterpillars, mole crickets, crickets, beetles and others.

Tarantulas prefer to be located as close to “home” as possible; they painstakingly protect their territory, protecting yourself from strangers. In cases where the spider needs to move away from the hole, it ties itself to it with a web to make it easier to find its way home. The only option to force the creature to leave its home territory is mating season, at this moment the spiders forget about everything and lose their heads. As a result, they are able to go a long way in search of a suitable female.

Reproduction

If the male managed to find a worthy candidate, he decides to hit on her. After a short courtship, the spiders enter into a relationship. Unfortunately, this relationship is not destined to end long and happy life. At the moment of mating, the male must be as careful and tense as possible, because after this process is completed the female will try to bite her “suitor” and give them dinner. The fate of the male depends on how quickly he reacts (many manage to escape). The female, having already been fertilized, continues to live alone.

Tarantula

Eggs spider lays in her hole. At an early stage, they are stored in a cocoon, which she drags along with her throughout the entire “gestation” period. Even after birth, baby tarantulas live on their mother’s back until they become more independent (they learn to hunt and crawl).

Known species

Poisonous or not?

One of the most important questions related to tarantulas is whether they are poisonous or not, are they dangerous to humans? Despite the mass of legends, a lot of misinformed people and confusion with other species of spiders, the tarantula is believed to be dangerous. Yes, the spider is poisonous, and its poison can kill, but only animals. A tarantula cannot harm a person, and its bite will be similar to the sting of a bee or hornet. Moreover, the tarantula will not look for you and attack, despite the fact that it is a predator. You can provoke him to attack only by invading his territory or destroying his house (banal self-defense).

It is important to understand that you should not deliberately invite a spider to attack, which is unknown to you. At certain times of the year, for example, in spring, at this time the venom of spiders gains strength (it is more toxic) and some individuals with their bite can lead to unpleasant consequences. An infected person may experience nausea, dizziness, and the like (not fatal, but creepy and unpleasant).

The degree of danger varies depending on the time of year:

• Spring - at this time spiders wake up and have a rather weak poison;
• Summer - they are completely awake, the poison intensifies several times;
• Autumn - the strength of the poison declines again due to the approaching hibernation.

Tarantula as a pet

Tarantula is a wonderful pet. The spider does not ask for a lot of food, is quite unpretentious to living conditions, is relatively safe (poisonous, but calm and flexible) and interesting. They are also very beautiful, for example, the black Brazilian version. In general, these creatures are very popular, many people buy American spiders, and some get by with South Russian ones.

Choosing a spider preference should be given to a female, since they can live much longer.