Our First Tarantula

[Frank the Tank]

Wow, that's a cool looking spider

 

[provitel21]

Wow..I never seen them here before, but I agree...I take most insects outside to my balcony to free them..

 

[Hillbilly]

I never tire of telling how a great swimming coach we had at the Centro Espa?ol (John) close to 35 years ago had caught a nice sized one and prepared an aquarium for it with lots of sandy soil and places to hide, but also lots of space for "visitors" to walk around.

Then he paid the neighborhood kids 5? (we had change back then) per cockroach and then he would let them watch and the tarantula stalked the cockroach and pounced. The kids oooohhed and awwwwwwed and it was better than the movies!!

HB

 

[cobraboy]

cobraboy, i think your tarantula is as big as the tiny rat that scared me in my house. wait till you see a real tarantula, the size of your hand. I have seen quite a few of them in puerto plata and one in santiago. I, accidently, crushed one by my scooter tire when i lived in costambar. That was a huge one, maybe 3 times the size you had on your wall. Once I saw one in santiago and all friends of badpiece jumped out of the car to capture it with bare hands. It seemed like these guys were playing with death. then again, nothing scare them, they are friends of badpiece.
AZB

It was pretty dang big even with joints missing. Compare it to the switchplate in the first picture. But no doubt there are prolly bigger...and I have no desire to meet one.

I took a picture with Alida's hand next to it. I'll process and post...

 

[Hlywud]

Spotted this guy on Bavaro beach a couple of years ago.


Facts About The Tarantula
They hunt at night. Tarantula’s diet consists of insects but the larger ones also enjoy small lizards, small birds and rats.

These guys can live up to 35 years.

They can grow up to 11 inches.
As many of us know they are venomous spiders. They use their venom to pre-digest their victims tissue so it’s easier to eat.

 

[LindseyKaufman]

Could have done without the photo......

Thanks, anyway, Hlywud.

Lindsey

 

[jrjrth]

Spotted this guy on Bavaro beach a couple of years ago.


Facts About The Tarantula
They hunt at night. Tarantula’s diet consists of insects but the larger ones also enjoy small lizards, small birds and rats.

These guys can live up to 35 years.

They can grow up to 11 inches.
As many of us know they are venomous spiders. They use their venom to pre-digest their victims tissue so it’s easier to eat.

~Now that's what you call "Larger then Life"...would not want that creapin over me whilst sun bathing....he looks like a healthy specimen...

 

[Amu]

Look what we found crawling in our classroom door last night in la Pucmm...yiiiikes, we ran like bitches...hahaha

 

[jrhartley]

is that a tarantula ? looks kind of small to the ones ive seen......never seen one on a wall, they are usually on the ground

 

[Amu]

Wich one Jthartley, mine or cobraboy's? because the one i post was huuuuge...

 

[jrhartley]

the cobra one looks a little hungry

 

[irateskateboards]

so these cacatas are venomous? if bitten, do you got to seek medical attention?
everyone that i know are scared of these and say u got big problems if bitten.
how about centipedes? we had one in the house on my last visit.the whole house including the neighbors next door went crazy trying to find it and kill it in the bathroom.

 

[Givadogahome]

Tarantula bites are rarely more than the likes of a wasp or hornet sting, I hear the centipedes are extremely painful I have seen Dominicans going crazy to kill one as if it would really do damage, but neither 'really' dangerous, just hurts a lot. Saying that I wouldn't want either in my bed or shoe.

 

[irateskateboards]

i hear that!
thank you for the info

 

[drstock]

Oh, but the table turned when I discovered his irrational fear of frogs which I have no qualms about picking up after having a few drinks.

The one thing my Haitian garden helper is scared of is frogs. He says they pee in your eyes and you will go blind. Right?

 

[Givadogahome]

I can understand that, some of those frogs/toads are the size of small footballs, I still find the 'kill anything' that isn't human approach hard to accept. I saw a couple of guys crossing the road with a snake that must have been 10ft long in 2 bits once, the snake could have been 50year old, only to die by the blade of a machete while minding its own business. I can not see the day the DR will have a national society for the protection of animals, unfortunately.

 

[every3monthpuntacana]

Many years ago on the Pacific coast of Ecuador I slept under the toldo but somehow my right arm slipped out of it.
Suddenly I woke up with a sharp pain in my hand; when I looked at my hand and a tarantula totally covered it...
I shook if off and it disappeared; my hand was swollen for a couple of days and there were 2 punch marks about an inch apart.
Other than that no harm done, it's really not that bad.

 

[dv8]

the table turned when I discovered his irrational fear of frogs which I have no qualms about picking up after having a few drinks.

miesposo also does not like frogs and will never touch them. if he sees one in the garden i have to go out to pick up the poor thing and dispose of it.