It’s said that 55% of women and 18% of men are afflicted with arachnophobia, the pathological fear of spiders. There’s some very bad news for these people: the tarantula is becoming an increasingly popular pet — despite the fact that it also one of the few spiders whose venom can harm humans. While all spiders are venomous, most species have venom that hurts only their prey. A tarantula’s bite has generally been compared to a wasp’s sting.
Tarantulas from the Americas have barbed bristles on that can irritate skin and other sensitive parts of the body. That is doubtless why the woman handling the tarantula in the video was wearing gloves. The tarantula in the video is the Goliath bird-eater (Theraphosa blondi), which has the distinction of being the one of the largest spiders in the world. They can have a leg span of up to 11 inches and can weigh over six ounces.
Despite the name, their main prey is earthworms, not birds. T. blondi hails from the rain forests of northern South America and has been found in Surinam, Guyana, northern Brazil, and southern Venezuela. They are nocturnal and live in burrows.
They take three to six years to reach maturity and the males die a year after mating, while the females can live for up to 25 years. So why would somebody want a giant spider for a pet? They are quiet and most are docile. They don’t need much space and are easy to take care of. They can be handled, but this should be done sparingly as too much handling can hurt the spider. Dropping it can kill it. Pet tarantulas can be found at pet sores, reptile shows, or online.