Tarantulas Trivia Quiz

Answer: Arctic

Despite their 'fur coats', tarantulas do not thrive in the cold. Deserts and rain forests are more to their liking.

Answer: Defense

Tarantulas, particularly the 'New World' or American variety, possess irritating or 'urticating' hair with barbs that can be ejected at an enemy when threatened (a bald spot on the abdomen or tail indicates a nasty temperament). The 'Old World' or European species compensate their lack of hair with aggressive posturing and displays of force.

Answer: Arboreal

Arboreal, the 'tree-dwelling' spiders. Between the two, the arboreals are faster, more aggressive and more likely to survive a fall.

Answer: 20 years or more

Female tarantulas living up to 30 years is not uncommon. Females are also the recommended pet for tarantula owners, as the male will make every attempt to escape during mating season.

Answer: Wasp

Specifically, the Pepsis or Tarantula Hawk Wasp, which can paralyze the tarantula without actually killing it and deposit an egg on the living host. When the egg hatches, the larva will eat the tarantula before developing into a new wasp. Tarantulas also make good meals for coatimundis and roadrunners.

Some people will even suggest roasted tarantulas are delicious...if you remove the fangs, hair and poison sacs.

Answer: Chilean Rose

While the other listed species are extremely aggressive, the Chilean Rose tarantula is very docile and can sometimes be held without them flicking hair at you. Other excellent starters include the Curly Hair and the Antillies Pinktoe. Of course, regarding any predatory species, caution is always recommended.

Answer: Nothing worse than a bee sting

While there are some species that have a nasty bite, unless you have an allergic reaction, tarantulas are for the most part, harmless. Most tarantulas will not inject venom as a warning...they save that for dinner.

Answer: Vibrations

Despite eight eyes on top of the carapace, tarantulas are sight-impaired and rely on surface vibrations made by a nearby moving target to eat. Pit viper snakes use heat to locate a meal.

Answer: Goliath Bird-eater

The aggressive Goliath Bird-eaters are not only capable of catching and eating small birds, they also eat frogs, lizards, bats and the occasional snake. The Bird-eater has an average legspan of 10-12 inches (about 25 cm.) and can cover an average sized dinner plate...or your computer screen!

Answer: True

Tarantulas, like all spiders, have spinnarets and can make silk webs. Of course their size makes it impossible to hang in the air. The males make webs on the ground to lay sperm for mating, while the female creates eggsacs.

Answer: False

With the exception of a few species, most tarantulas lead solitary lives. As with most all spiders during mating, the male runs the chance of being eaten by his much larger mate if he is not careful.

Answer: Molt

It is through the process of shedding their skin that tarantulas can regrow body parts lost in fighting or evading enemies. A tarantula after molting is extremely vulnerable (even the fangs can bend) and requires at least a week or so to regain full strength. For females, the molting process may continue for a lifetime (see above for a female's lifespan).

Answer: Falling

While arboreal types can fall from a greater distance, any fall might mean a break in the exoskeleton and the spider bleeds to death. A close second is breaks that occurr during molting. Injuries can be prevented by designing the cage so that the space between the lid and the surface of the substrate is no longer than the tarantula's legspan, or a little more.

Answer: Burrow

Whether they are obligate (build their own hole) or opportunistic (find an existing hole), tarantulas prefer burrows. When constructing a shelter, you should provide them with as much as five inches of good solid soil to dig in.

Answer: False

Any proper tarantula owner should always provide a water dish. Depending on the species, you will also want to gently mist the tank every so often to keep up the humidity. Tarantulas native to a desert region probably only need to be misted once a week lightly, and tarantulas found in the rainforest should be misted 2 or 3 times a week.