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There are two main types of spiders. Tarantulas belong to the
group of
Primitive spiders called Mygalomorphs which:
* take in air through two pairs of abdominal pouches called
book-lungs
* have fangs (chelicerae) that work up and down like a pick axe
* do not hang in webs of silk, but may live in silk-lined burrows
and spin egg sacs
* resemble spiders found only in the fossil record from 300 million
years ago
* include the funnel-web, trapdoor, tarantulas and brush-footed spiders.
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Reply: It looks like some sort of tarantula too.
30 May, 2008:
Can you help me identify this specimen?
Carla
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Reply: It looks like some sort of tarantula to me.
30 May, 2008:
Hi
I was looking on your website to see if I could identify this spider we saw in Cyprus. Having checked many pictures it would seem to resemble a tarantula or a bird eating spider, but they look so similar it is difficult to decide which it may be. Could you help me please?
Thanks
Best wishes
Ruth
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Reply: It's not a wolf spider,
it looks like some sort of tarantula to me.
30 May, 2008:
We found this outside our house last night and were wondering if it is indeed a wolf spider.
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25 January, 2008:
HI, I am from India and have found this spider on my
trip. It is my pet and i take good care of it. I want to know what
species it is so that I can improve my care taking abilities. I know
its a Tarantula, but what type, Burrowing, tree climbing, special
care etc is what I need to find. Please let me know what kind this
is and where I can find more information on the same |
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7 October, 2007:
Hi Glen, we met this spider on Martinique. The coin in front
is about 2.6 cm in diameter. I would be very happy if you could
tell me what it is! By the way,
here is one of my favourite spider photos of a friend of
mine: best,, Jens
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17 September, 2007:
Attached for no reason particular reason is my G. Rosea.
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22 July, 2007:
Here's a couple pics of a tarantula found on my property
near Del Rio, Texas. I can't tell what species it is. md
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Lubomir's Reply: Yes, it surelly
did... The puzzle is solved. It was his neighbour's
spider It a species of Cyclosternum... am not sure which
now.
Lubomir
My Reply: This sort of tarantula doesn't live in Czech Republic,
maybe it is someone's pet that escaped.
20 July, 2007:
I got two pics from a friend, but couldn't find
this species in my books... could you help ?
He found him in his flat, in Czech republic /
central Europe. I would appreciate a latin name if
you were able to determine it.. Thanks a lot
and I love your pages !
Lubomir
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15 June, 2007:
Thought you might like to see this picture of
a Pinktoed Tarantula (Avicularia Avicularia) that my dad and I
caught while in Guyana S.A. There were lots of them around
(very common in houses). Scott, Ont. Canada
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18 May, 2007:
Hi Glen...This is a reply for the
person who posted a spider on February 27, 2007 (lives
in Northern California, kept the spider in an aquarium,
thought it was a tarantula). Although the picture was a
little blurry, I believe the spider I found in my yard
is the same. I also live in Northern California and
found the spider in my yard. I consulted an
arachnologist, who informed me that my spider is
a native spider in the genus Calisoga. It is a type of
tarantula and sometimes referred to as the smooth or
gray tarantula. Not known to be dangerous but when
threatened will assume an aggressive display posture.
Hope this helps...
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28 April, 2007:
Dear Colleagues I need do identify
some spiders and really, I have no idea about which species
they belong. I would appreciate if you could help me in this
matter. I am sending some pictures, despite one is very
dark. Once again, I am very grateful if you can help me with
this.
Sincerely,
Luiz Roberto Francisco
ZOOTEC
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26 March, 2007:
Good News! Stella (Stripekneed Tarantula) moulted successfully in
the comfort of her own confined burrow, and grew another 1.5
inches in leg span, measuring 4.5 inches. The whole process took
about an hour from start to finish, and now looks really pretty.
Enjoy the photos! Videos of her molt I posted on Youtube.com
under my account name IloveSPIDERZ.
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16 February, 2007:
I took this photo of a pepsis wasp dragging a very much alive
taranutla across the mountain where I live in Costa Rica.
Thought you'd like to have it.
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14 January, 2007:
Hi Glen!
I received a tarantula for Christmas!
I love this spider but have a few questions. I named it Stella,
but have no idea if it is a male or a female. What do you think?
I can only guess because it is still relatively small (about 2
inches). Also, this particular spider was labeled as the Stripe
Knee Tarantula, but doesn't look anything like the images I
Goggled on the internet. Does anyone think it is a different
spider? If so, please do tell! The behavioral characteristics of
this species on the internet does match the spider's; very
docile, and "Panicky" if startled in the slightest way.She got
used to me handling her really fast though, and when she gets
startled, she'll choose to run, and sometimes up the glass! But
that leads to yet another question I have. At night, she leaves
her burrow to walk slowly around the tank a few steps at a time,
and loves to climb up the glass in the 12in. tank. Why do these
spiders tend to crawl up the glass? I get concerned because when
she tries to get back down, she ends up falling at the height
she's at. This spider is a very fun spider to have as a pet!
When I first handled it, you would be able to feel how strong
and nervous it is! It is also fun to feed her crickets. She eats
about once or twice every other day.
Thanks so much!
Joe Hollner
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We were recently in San Miguel California
to visit some friends. There were Tarantulas EVERYWHERE!!
They were all over the road, in the yards -
It was unbelievable.
I'm assuming it is mating season - Our
friends say they are out like this every year at this time. We
are from the Bay Area and don't see tarantulas just out and
Here are a couple of pictures we took. After
reading some of the posts...I'm wishing that I had attempted to
pick it up. It looked a little scary (and big) so I decided not
to...Darn it!!
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21 October,
2006:
Hi Glen
I went to my friends house and took
these pic
of his red knee
thanks
enjoy the photos
Joe
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16 October,
2006:
Glen,
Here is a pic of a spider I saw as I was driving up a
mountain road outside of Santa Barbara CA . It looks like a
tarantulas, with actual size at about 3” in diameter.
Perry
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16 October,
2006:
Hi Glen, About a year ago i gave you a
picture of rosie, my spider molting. Now
i have another photo of the lovely (grammostola
rosea) thing at the end of the molt
thanks Elias
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15 September,
2006:
Dear Glen. I live in Southern Thailand. Last night when I was
going to bed, this guy
crawled across my bedroom floor.
He is about 15 cm from front leg to back leg. But what Kind of
Tarantula is
it? I looked at a lot of pictures on the web, but none really
resembles! Thank you,
Pontus
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August, 2006:
Hi Glen, I live in Australia and i think this is a male
tarantula but not too sure I took the photo on a camping trip it
was in the toilets area bout 1hrs drive from Townsville. The
other spider I have no clue what it is but i took that one in
Point Lonsdale (Melbourne) a few weeks ago can you pls let me
know what kinds these spiders are it's driving me mad! Thx Joan
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21
August, 2006:
Hi,
I found what I think is a juvenal tarantula. It was in my
kitchen. We live on the Ventura Riverbed in central California.
Can you tell what kind he is?
Thanks Kris
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August, 2006:
Dear Glen, We are a British couple, just visiting friends in Sauteurs,
Grenada in the Caribbean who have now left and we are
housesitting for a short while until they return. I came across
this spider in the kitchen yesterday morning, which I think is a
tarantula, maybe not; but of more concern is whether it is
venomous or not. I e-mailed the picture attached, to the house owners and they
were surprised to learn that we had seen such a spider let alone
that it was in their kitchen!! I guess that this one is about 5"
long (the table leg is approximatey 1.75" square). We also had
another very similar but smaller one (about 3" long) resting on
a stairway handrail last night, my wife almost put her hand on
top of it. Neither of us like spiders, although I didn't kill either of
them, just scooped the big one up in a tray and tossed him
outside safely - it crawled off so wasn't injured. It has been
raining heavily and the house is situated about 400 ft above sea
level and is surrounded by vegetation/trees etc - very
picturesque. Any idea what it is, is it venomous - could it be picked up by
hand and if so what is the best way to do so?? Thanks for your time Mike Jones
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Reply: It certainly is a tarantula, can't tell what sort though!! they
are kept as pets in the US and are not considered dangerous, and
rarely bite. The hairs on the legs can cause irritation of the
skin though but it could be picked up by hand. If you let it
just crawl onto your hand, it would not be frightened and this
would be the best way to pick it up. I would rather see you put
it in something as you did and then let it go outside.
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1 August, 2006:
I
stumbled across your site while trying to identify this spider I
just found while watering my flowers. I couldn't figure out what
it was and I need to get back to work.
I
estimate the body to be around one and a half inches in length.
The spider was all black with broun spot on its lower back. The
whole spider and its legs were covered with fur. I am not a
spider person, but I am curious as to what it was. My first
thought was taranchula, but like I said, I am not a spider
person and only thought that because it was big.
The
pics I have are of great resolution. If you would like to use
them on your web site, be my guest.
If
you know what it is or have any comments you could give me about
it, please do.
I
just took these pics about a half hour ago, right infront of my
house in Camarillo, CA.
Jon
Minor
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19 July, 2006:
Hello Glen, Very helpful website! This is a photograph of a
pure black tarantula I found in my front yard in Valley Center (San
Diego County), California this afternoon. I've been searching online
and I havn't been able to identify this particular one. Feel free to
add this photo to your collection. Thanks, Joel
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26 May, 2006:
I have looked on the net and have decided to fwd this to you in
hopes you can tell me a bit about it...I'll confess I haven't looked
at ALL your spider pictures, but this is too good to just toss in my
files of "lost" pictures. My apologies for the huge picture...I
didn't think to change the settings when I finally saw what was
there. ...My cat had been having a love affair w/whatever is UNDER
my cabinets...and I was convinced the hole probably had a connection
to there somehow. BTW...this is from southeastern New Mexico.
Lovington, to be exact. For the past couple of weeks, I've been watching this hole in my
yard. ...I decided it must be a gopher or a rat, so went to the
$$ store and bought some rat/mouse bait....sprinkled it in the
hole...and later, when I checked, there was all the bait around
the hole. ..."No, thank you, please." hmmmmm....I repeated this
process a couple more times, adding rocks, dirt, and anything
else I could think of....and then got the bright idea to put
some firecrackers down the hole. ...in hopes I could scare him
to death....A day or so later, the pellets were back on top.
Fine! I thought.... well...at least the varmint has to be deaf! Yesterday, I discovered the critter sitting in his front door.
:) I'm glad I didn't scare him away after all! |
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26 May, 2006:
Here is a few pictures of a tarantula we found tonight at our
community playground. Dawn Kingsville, Texas |
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17 April, 2006:
I believe this is a tarantula. I spotted in on my back patio and
followed it until I got a good photo. I live in southern AZ on
the Maricopa/Pima county line. To give you an idea of the size
of this spider, the rocks next to it are about an inch long.
This is a lo-resolution version to make it easier to send via
dial-up.
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2 April, 2006:
Hi GLEN
I've got
MORE
pictures of Ginger hope you like them
Elias
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16 March, 2006:
Greetings!! I've been an avid watcher of your site and I wanted to
contribute some recent photographs of some spiders I've had the
pleasure of meeting!!! The tarantula:
I'd like to know the name of this guy, he is super!!
He did flick his hairs quite a bit and yes it did make my skin itchy. I'd love
for you to post these. (attached file names 'andre1resized, and andre2)
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3 March, 2006:
Dear Glen, I now have a addition to the
family. it is a small juvenile Mexican red knee which has
recently molted. It used to dig a borrow 3 inches deep. That
was until its tank was invaded by ticks and mites. We
changed the peat and now uses a retreat under a large piece
of cork bark. When it eats she acts like a tiger pouncing on
its prey, a large brown cricket. This Red knee is extremely
fast and needs high temperature, so it is best to keep the
lid closed for most of the time. Elias ps. her new name is
Ginger
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November, 2005:
We have quite a male tarantula migration here in Pueblo Colorado. I just
got my new camera a Nikon Coolpix 8800 and am having a blast. I
thought I had missed the migration this fall, but was driving home
and saw this monster on the road. I’m sorry that I did not get some
dimension, like a coin or something. I had always heard that these
male spiders do not get very big but this guy
was easily as big as my hand, (measuring…. Finger tip to finger tip
8.5 inches), if the females are bigger I don’t want to meet one.
Thanks and Love your website. Vaughn
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2 November, 2005:
Dear glen, my Chile rosehair tarantula has just moulted and is now a
adult male i thought you may like to put these photos on the
mygalomorphs page, Elias |
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Another Reply: I
was browsing your [2005 unidentified spiders] photos & i saw
a tarantula [2 october 2005] you ID as a rosehair. It looks
similar but i think it's more likely a male Texas Brown, i
have 3 TBs & am considering a Rosehair. Bec
Another Reply: I
asked for identity and response was Columbian Rose Hair Tarantula. I
have since found it is a Chilean Rose Hair Tarantula. I enjoy your
site very much. Carol
Reply: This is
a Columbian Rose Hair Tarantula. I have a female. This person is
right in identifying it as a male. Don
2 October, 2005:
I know this is a male; every year at this time a tarantula
walks through our patio on it's way to find a mate. I just do not
know the name of this particular tarantula.
cdenil, Boulder City, NV |
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25 Sept, 2005:
Hello, I live in the Reno, NV area and we just found a BIG
brown spider. It looks a lot like a Tarantula, but with a
smaller body. It's footprint is about 4 inches across. Any ideas?
regards, BrianClick for a
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22 February, 2005:
Glen,
These are pictures of spiders that I took whilst I was
away on Holiday in
Thailand and Boneo. This one IS a Malay Tarantula (also known as the
Gibbon Tarantula on account of the fact it can kill a Gibbon!). This
was taken during a nocturnal drive through Danum Valley Rainforest,
Sabah Hope you like them !
DavidClick for a larger view. |
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29
September, 2004:
Docile, able to hold in hands, very pretty with her rose tinted
cephalothorax... Jennifer
Clackamas, OR |
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29
September, 2004:
Mean, aggressive, but so beautiful! wanted you guys to see
these colorful pictures...she is one of my babies... Jennifer
Clackamas, OR |
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8 August, 2003:
Hi found her under a board out in the field in Arkansas, U.S.
Just thought I would send it to you so you can use it if you want.
DavidClick for a larger photo. |
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25
September, 2004:
Hi there!
Great site!
Saw this guy in front of my car. Thought it was a moose.
Tarantula in City Creek Canyon, near Salt Lake City, Utah
September 16, 2004
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