Biology of Spiders Book Review

The Biology of Spiders according to the publisher “has established itself as the supreme authority on these fascinating creatures.” – OUP. This book is very insightful and probably will cover everything about spiders themselves. It may be the only book you will ever need on the scientific study of spiders; there is no other book […]

What is a Spider?

Growing up, I assumed that eight legs were a part of classifying spiders, but that is not the case. Many other little creatures have eight legs, e.g., ticks. So what then makes a spider a spider? For the right and correct answer, it is the following: “The most important synapomorphies of the Araneae (which would […]

Are All Spiders and Tarantulas Venomous?

The basic answer is yes; all spiders and tarantulas are venomous (although, there are a few that are not). However, that does not mean they are all dangerous. There are about 40,000 species of spiders recorded, and only about 200 are considered medically significant to humans. That means only 0.5% of all the spiders in […]

One of My Greatest Regrets – The Story of Birtha

I had a wonderful tarantula named Birtha; she was a Lasiodora parahybana or a Brazilian Salmon Pink Goliath Tarantula. I paid $15 for Birtha from an online breeder and raised her from a sling. This is one of my first pictures of her: Well, time passed, and I was older and in college. I kept downsizing my […]