VIDEO

ARE TARANTULAS HELPFUL TO OUR ECOSYSTEM?

One of those animals that has all kinds of stories.

There's a history of tarantulas scaring people but Arachnophobia is actually a fairly common phobia. And actually, they do play an important role in our ecosystem because they are crawling out at dusk looking for as many small animals, insects, small lizards, small mice.

If you're stung by a large spider like this, it's sort of like a bee sting. As long as you're not allergic to bees, it's fine. It's the small spiders like the black widow, the brown recluse that we need to worry about.

This one, even though they're strange looking and they're scary and there's lots of tales about how dangerous they can be, they're helpful to have sharing our planet with us.

They may look creepy and crawly, but tarantulas play an important role in our ecosystem that can’t be ignored. Watch the video to learn more from Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom Protecting the Wild Co-Host Peter Gros.

Plus, check out these tarantula facts:

  • There are around than 900 tarantula species.
  • Male tarantulas live five to seven years, while females live up to 30. Males usually die shortly after mating.
  • They live on all continents except Antarctica. In the U.S., wild tarantulas are found in the Southwest region.
  • Tarantulas hunt at night, focusing mainly on insects, but also toads, frogs and mice.
  • Like other spiders, tarantulas spin webs, but not to catch prey. Instead, these webs are part of their mating rituals.

Discover more tarantula facts and learn about other spooky animals.

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