Tarantulas! (And Happy Thanksgiving!)

Sometimes life just takes you by surprise. And sometimes it even shocks you. Like when we saw a tarantula casually walking across our wall a week or so ago (it was too heavy and then feel to the floor, traumatizing poor Ducky). We were certainly taken by surprise by this hairy eight-legged creature.

And then I was down right shocked when just two days ago, I was sorting the laundry in the laundry room, and I picked up a tank top only to have another tarantula practically fall out onto my foot. Needless to say, I ran out of the room, screaming some choice words at the top of my lungs.

What is going on? Why are there suddenly tarantulas in our house?

We don't really know the answer to these questions. The thing is, is that life is so often like this. Crazy things happen, like tarantulas jumping out of your tank tops, and there is just not a good explanation for it.

But even if we don't know why they are there or where they are coming from, after this second incident, I needed to do a little research about these fuzzy creatures. I didn't think they were dangerous, but I wanted to make sure in case we encountered another one.  Here is what I found out (http://courses.ttu.edu/thomas/classpet/1999/tarantula/facts.htm):

·       Tarantulas will go bald on their thorax when they get old!

·       Tarantulas have tiny hairs on the back of their abdomen and back legs that will stick to an enemy if disturbed and ITCH.

·       Tarantulas have re-tractable claws, just like cats!

·       Some tarantulas can get as big as dinner plates!

·       Tarantulas’ bite is actually not that dangerous; no more worse than a bee sting (unless you’re allergic, of course).

I think I would pass out if I saw a tarantula the size of a dinner plate. Hopefully those only exist in Africa or something. Far away from here.

Anyway, have a happy Thanksgiving everyone. Hopefully we can cook our turkey tomorrow in peace, with no more surprise visits from these scary, hairy arachnid beasts!