Unexpected Houseguest

[JRB]

Aye, that's a fine speciman. I'd have been tempted to keep it as a pet.

Arizona tarantulas are pretty laid-back, docile & shy. You have to really work at getting them PO'd before they'll bite you.

The only problem I have with Arizona tarantulas is the company they keep - the Tarantula Hawk!

This is the wasp from Hell & let me tell you, it looks the part. First, for a wasp it's big, about 2-inches (50 mm) long & has this sinister, irridecent metallic blue-black body, with reddish antennae & bright orange wings, with long legs with hooks at the end - just evil looking! And their stinger is about 1/3-inch (7 mm) long & it's considered among the most painful of any insect! It's listed near the top of the list in Schmidt Sting Pain Index.

They're called Tarantula Hawks because the female stuns a tarantula, lays her eggs on its back & when the young-uns hatch, they eat the tarantula. Lovely critters!

We've got plenty of tarantulas in Arizona & therefore, unfortunately, plenty of Tarantula Hawks!

You don't want to come across one of these!

Gotta agree. The spider is cute compared to the T-hawk. I came across one while hiking in the Grand Canyon. That thing made me want to run home to mommy. My bacpacking buddy lived in Tucson at the time and appeased me by telling me they weren't aggressive unless provoked. As you can guess, I decided not to provoke it.

[Archangel]

My bacpacking buddy lived in Tucson at the time and appeased me by telling me they weren't aggressive unless provoked. As you can guess, I decided not to provoke it.

Sounds like the Billy Conolly line: "ah relax, they only go after you if they smell fear."
"Of course, they can smell it, it's running down me leg."

[Red_Raven]

Back when I was volunteer at the Smithsonian Institute's Insect Zoo, I had a pet Mexican Red-Kneed Tarantula, name Rosie. (Her water bottle was an empty half-pint of tequila.) Their poison (and the poison of other tarantulas) is no worse than a bee or wasp, so its not a problem unless you are allergic. The real issue is their fangs are like the prongs of a very large fork VV Ouch.

The mature male out on its final prowl for a mate can be identified by small hook like appendages that it grows under its front legs. They use these to hook the females fangs to keep her from biting them.

Best regards,

Jake

My daughter would have moved into the insect Zoo if they would have let her. her passions in order, bugs, lizards, dead things, Japanese, and Aname.

Her choice for school, Become an embalmer, while studying Asian studies at ASU so she can go to the forensics school in Japan, with entomology as her minor. Should keep her occupied and out of the house for a few years..

Her room looks like the Smithsonian insect zoo. I don't travel inside it without a paid guide and a bottle of raid.

Apart from the spiders which I dislike, I love the rest of her collection. And yes the Arizona desert is very alive and very fragile. The state offers something for everybody, Snow to 120 degrees. If you come please respect our short supply of water and always be prepared. I have seen more then one day with greater then 60 temperature changes, morning to night.

[Archangel]

My daughter would have moved into the insect Zoo if they would have let her. her passions in order, bugs, lizards, dead things, Japanese, and Aname.

Her choice for school, Become an embalmer, while studying Asian studies at ASU so she can go to the forensics school in Japan, with entomology as her minor. Should keep her occupied and out of the house for a few years..

Her room looks like the Smithsonian insect zoo. I don't travel inside it without a paid guide and a bottle of raid.

Apart from the spiders which I dislike, I love the rest of her collection. And yes the Arizona desert is very alive and very fragile. The state offers something for everybody, Snow to 120 degrees. If you come please respect our short supply of water and always be prepared. I have seen more then one day with greater then 60 temperature changes, morning to night.

My son found the shortcut. He's always wanted to be Japanese. He had a "fan club" (really) who sort of sponsored a stay a few summers ago. He realized he wouldn't be able to stay then. He came back here, took the one year course for Teaching English as a Second Language, met a Japanese girl here, married her and they moved to Japan. Now he has a job teaching English, which pays higher than most Japanese jobs, higher than most here. He has an art dealer selling his art, they found him a job doing cartoon, anime, voices. He also sell cyberpet supplies on his wife's website. She was able to be an independent designer which is good since, in Japan, women have to be a certain age before they are culturally allowed to make real money.

My point is that the traditional North American way may take too long to get where she wants to be. (BTW, my aunt is knighted, so she's a Dame, based on her work as a Forensic Pathologist, so go girl.)

Has she seen the Victorian Funeral fashion section of Tokyo Park? It's weird, the whole park is weird.

For Arachnophobes: my son sent a pic of a statue in downtown Tokyo. It's a giant spider that straddles the sidewalk and you walk underneath it. Some of you will be crossing the street, I'm sure.

[Monkey@Arms]

My daughter would have moved into the insect Zoo if they would have let her. her passions in order, bugs, lizards, dead things, Japanese, and Aname.

Her choice for school, Become an embalmer, while studying Asian studies at ASU so she can go to the forensics school in Japan, with entomology as her minor. Should keep her occupied and out of the house for a few years..

Her room looks like the Smithsonian insect zoo. I don't travel inside it without a paid guide and a bottle of raid.

A girl after my own heart (if I weren't old enough to be her father, with a wife and two kids of my own.) When I was younger I had a display of stuffed dead things, which I referred to as such. Even now my section of the family living room display case contains a variety of animal bones, bits of fur, baleen and the like from my travels. Entomology and forensics are a great combination: http://agnews.tamu.edu/stories/ENTO/Feb1099a.htm

Best regards,

Jake

[emolas]

I used to have a 3 gallon terrarium with rocks, sand, a small log, etc. A perfect habitat for a tarantula but no residents and when people asked what was in it I would tell them "My pet tarantula". They would look in the tank and ask where the thing was and I would remark "damn, it must have got out again, watch where you sit".

Being VERY arachnophobic myself, I would never have a pet spider but it was fun to inflict a bit of my own fear on others. If I ever saw that thing crawling across my living room floor, I would scream like a girl, hike up my kilt, and run. My daughter asked me if she could have one for a pet. Actually she only got as far as "Daddy, can I have a pet tara..." before I told her "ABSOLUTELY NOT"

[Monkey@Arms]

I used to have a 3 gallon terrarium with rocks, sand, a small log, etc. A perfect habitat for a tarantula but no residents and when people asked what was in it I would tell them "My pet tarantula". They would look in the tank and ask where the thing was and I would remark "damn, it must have got out again, watch where you sit".

Being VERY arachnophobic myself, I would never have a pet spider but it was fun to inflict a bit of my own fear on others. If I ever saw that thing crawling across my living room floor, I would scream like a girl, hike up my kilt, and run. My daughter asked me if she could have one for a pet. Actually she only got as far as "Daddy, can I have a pet tara..." before I told her "ABSOLUTELY NOT"

You know, I'm actually not all that keen about close encounters with many types of insects and arachnids, but to me, the hairs and size of the tarantula actually make them less "bug like" and more pet worthy. Go figure. My tarantula actually did escape once while I was asleep. My roommate was not amused when I asked for help in finding her, which we did . . . that spider never looked bigger then when I saw her on the floor near my bed covers

Now this is a spider with an appearance that only its mother could love



Apparently they are more ugly than dangerous. More info on the Camel Spider here

[Panache]

Jake,

Those arachnids look so utterly huge because of the perspective in which that photograph was taken. There was a lot of misinformation on them that has been circling around the interent for years (things like that they scream).

I believe they are a type of sunspider.

Cheers

Jamie

[SoldierSpike]

They actually get rather large, about 1.25 times the avg tarantula, and they do chase people, and they are PITA to kill, I've dropped large and heavy books on them, and then had to step on the book to kill it. And no, I didn't desecrate one of the few novels we had at the time, it was a spare technical manual.

Marc

[BruceK]

That's all! That does it! I'm outta this thread! I'm gonna have nightmares for the next week...