Tarantula

Tarantulas are the largest spiders on earth. They have large, hairy bodies and they belong to the family of theraphosidae. Funnel-web spiders and trap door spiders are also called tarantulas. The name came from a smaller wolf spider from Europe. Then the name was made by explorers that were brought to the, '' New World. '' You will find tarantulas in warmer regions, where they can feed on invertabrates and vertabrates. They grow to be 1-3 inches long and have a legspan of about 5 inches. South American bird-catching spiders are larger. Some tarantulas can live to be 20 years old.

The largest ones live around places like the Amazon and South American jungles. Although great numbers are found in south western United States. Many kinds dig burrows to live in. Trap door spiders dig burrows with lids on them. A California tarantula builds a turnet which is made of grass and twigs at the entrance of the burrow. Then this spider sits on a tower and watches for insects moving in the grass.