Appearance:
These tarantulas have fine hairs covering their whole body and are almost entirely black in color. They can “hear” without having ears using their tiny hairs to sense air movements.Tarantulas breathe using book lungs unlike “true spiders” that have developed tracheas.

Size:
These crawly creatures are between 5 and 6 inches, although females are larger than males.

Habitat/Range:
These tarantulas can be found in the grasslands of Brazil and Uruguay. They burrow far into deep places to make their homes.

Diet:
In the wild, Tarantulas have an appetite for big meals and eat crickets, large insects, mice and small lizards.

Reproduction:
Summertime is the season of choice for these tarantulas, with the peak mating months lasting from June to September. The process begins as the male approaches the female and touches her to test if she is receptive. If she is, the female raises her front legs and the male will insert his sperm into the female’s seminal receptacle, where she carries her eggs. Newborn tarantulas will reach maturity and be able to reproduce for themselves after eight years. It takes three months for the baby tarantulas to hatch after the female spider spins a web, where she can lay up to 600 eggs.

Median Life Expectancy:
females can live up to 20 years, while males live between 6 and 7 years

Behavior:
These spiders are mainly burrowers, and they do it for two main reasons: to wait for food or if they feel threatened. Sometimes the tarantulas stay in their burrows in the grasslands for months, as they can go that long without food. Tarantulas are carnivores, and feed on agricultural pests, rodents and insects. However, these spiders don’t have the ability to smell or taste their food because they have no nose or taste buds. Instead, they use chemical receptors on their body to tell if something is food or liquid.

Did you know?
Tarantulas are a popular household pet.