This headline in today's newspaper caught my attention. Hmmm. I didn't know we had tarantulas in Colorado.
"Colorado wildlife officials say thousands of tarantulas are expected to start their annual migration through the state soon. It's expected to begin this month through early October. Oklahoma brown tarantulas migrate through
La Junta about 176 miles southeast of Denver. The majority of the spiders are 10-year-old males looking to mate with females hidden in Colorado's grasslands. Officials say the peak time to view the migration is mid-September near Comanche National Grassland south of La Junta. Tarantulas are mostly harmless to humans, but have bites that can cause injury or an allergic reaction and hair that can be irritating to the eyes, mouth, and nose."
Well, that sparked my interest, so I turned to Wikipedia. Just a few facts. Tarantulas are hairy spiders, an arthropod. They range in size from fingernail to dinner plate size, with legs fully extended. Ave. is 1-4". The largest is the Goliath Birdeater, 12" in diameter, found in Venezuela & Brazil.
There are >1,000 species of tarantulas. They are found in the U.S., Mexico, Central & S. America, Africa, Asia, Australia, and in Europe -- Spain, Portugal, Turkey, S. Italy, & Cyprus. They eat large insects. The largest ones eat lizards, mice, bats, birds, and small snakes. Some cultures, such as in Venezuela & Cambodia, consider them a delicacy to eat. (Yuck!)
My gr. dau. lives in Dallas, TX area. They found a tarantula living in a hole in their back yard. She doesn't let her 2 pre-school boys play out there.
For more info. read the Wikipedia site.
"Colorado wildlife officials say thousands of tarantulas are expected to start their annual migration through the state soon. It's expected to begin this month through early October. Oklahoma brown tarantulas migrate through
La Junta about 176 miles southeast of Denver. The majority of the spiders are 10-year-old males looking to mate with females hidden in Colorado's grasslands. Officials say the peak time to view the migration is mid-September near Comanche National Grassland south of La Junta. Tarantulas are mostly harmless to humans, but have bites that can cause injury or an allergic reaction and hair that can be irritating to the eyes, mouth, and nose."
Well, that sparked my interest, so I turned to Wikipedia. Just a few facts. Tarantulas are hairy spiders, an arthropod. They range in size from fingernail to dinner plate size, with legs fully extended. Ave. is 1-4". The largest is the Goliath Birdeater, 12" in diameter, found in Venezuela & Brazil.
There are >1,000 species of tarantulas. They are found in the U.S., Mexico, Central & S. America, Africa, Asia, Australia, and in Europe -- Spain, Portugal, Turkey, S. Italy, & Cyprus. They eat large insects. The largest ones eat lizards, mice, bats, birds, and small snakes. Some cultures, such as in Venezuela & Cambodia, consider them a delicacy to eat. (Yuck!)
My gr. dau. lives in Dallas, TX area. They found a tarantula living in a hole in their back yard. She doesn't let her 2 pre-school boys play out there.
For more info. read the Wikipedia site.
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