Tarantulas

Crawling across the ground of the Amazon rainforest, we may see a tarantula the size of a dinner plate! The goliath birdeater tarantula is one of the largest spiders in the world. It has a legspan of 12 inches (1 foot) across. Their brown or black bodies camouflage into the forest floor as they search for food.

Unlike their name says, goliath birdeaters rarely eat birds! Most of their diet is insects, worms, and amphibians, like frogs. Like all tarantulas, they use their venomous fangs to kill prey. Their fangs grow quite large, sometimes longer than an inch long. While their venom is strong enough to kill small prey, it is mostly harmless to humans. Goliath birdeaters usually drag their prey back to the safety of their underground burrow before they eat.

Their venomous fangs also come in handy when defending themselves from predators. Coatis, large birds, snakes, and wasps prey on goliath birdeaters. When threatened, they rub setae (hair-like structures) on their legs together to make a hissing sound. They may also show their fangs or flick setae off their back using their legs. We call these floating setae "urticating hairs."

While some of us might get the heebie-jeebies from such large spiders, many people find them fascinating and want them as pets. They are commonly owned by spider-lovers. Unfortunately, like most rainforest animals, the goliath birdeater is threatened by deforestation. We can help birdeaters by using sustainably grown paper and food products.