Is this a tarantula?

[finn's mom]

Eek, that's what it looks like to me. Yikes, I don't think I'd want to see that in my office, although I love seeing them "up close." I'd prefer behind glass, though, at a zoo, haha. Are you including the legs in the measurement? I know the bodies are usually 1-4 inches, but that doesn't include the legs. Too bad there's not something near it to judge size (like a soda can or dollar bill or something). Beautiful animal, though, even though they scare the crap out of me!

[pomtzu]

Holy sh-t! If I saw that in my office or house, I would have been out the door long before the spider was! Spiders and snakes are two things that freak me out!
Sure looks like a tarantula to me. Now I have the creepy-crawlies just thinking about it.....

[Taz_Zoee]

It was a baby (we think). The size I gave included the legs. In this picture (taken on a cell phone) it looks HUGE. But it wasn't as big as the tarantula's you see like on TV and stuff.

Yeah, some of the ladies were a bit panicked. But I was surprised by some of the people in my office that weren't afraid of it at all. Like the girl that took the picture. When I walked around the corner she was crouched down right in front of it trying to get it to smile for the picture! LOL

They are actually harmless to humans, so there wasn't anything to be afraid of. When it ran into the envelope you could hear the click of the legs on the paper. That was creepy!!

[finn's mom]

They are actually harmless to humans, so there wasn't anything to be afraid of.

They can't/don't bite? I know all spiders aren't venomous, but I thought they could all bite. I get bitten all the time by spiders. I was outside after my husband mowed yesterday and within five minutes, was bitten. Nothing to worry about, true, but annoying nonetheless.

I'm more freaked out by them, not so much afraid that they'll hurt me.

[lvpets2002]

Me as well.. However I am laughing to hard to move..

Holy sh-t! If I saw that in my office or house, I would have been out the door long before the spider was! Spiders and snakes are two things that freak me out!
Sure looks like a tarantula to me. Now I have the creepy-crawlies just thinking about it.....

[pomtzu]

I'm not "afraid" of them - they just give me the creeps.

We get sprickets here a lot - now those things are super weird and creepy. If I find one in the house, I have to get my son to kill it, since I had a huge one jump at me once and scared the daylights out of me.

[lvpets2002]

Hey we could always try to put them on a Steek..

I'm not "afraid" of them - they just give me the creeps.

We get sprickets here a lot - now those things are super weird and creepy. If I find one in the house, I have to get my son to kill it, since I had a huge one jump at me once and scared the daylights out of me.

[Taz_Zoee]

Ok, I had to look up what a spricket was and NO THANKS!!!
I hate crickets and grasshoppers. I'm not afraid of them because I know they can't hurt me, I just don't like the fact that they jump and have icky sticky feet. UGH!!!!

And I looked up the question can tarantula's bite. Here is a piece of info on that:

They do bite, and their bites are venomous. However, for most species, the toxicity of their venom is much like that of a bee or wasp. It is most likely to cause a nasty local reaction incluidng pain, redness, swelling. However, people can have a an allergic or anaphylactic reaction to spider bites in the same way that some people react to bee stings, and this reaction can be fatal. Also, there are few species which have a stronger venom that could potentially be fatal, or at least make the bite victim quite ill. So while tarantula bits are unlikely to be fatal, you still want to avoid being bitten, and the best way to do this is to learn about spider behavior and treat the spider accordingly. Tarantulas are wild animals, and need to be treated with respect. As a rule, however, most spiders would rather retreat than bite.

[Medusa]

Good god in heaven! I would've been out that door so fast you would've seen my smoke! That's the one thing that concerned me when I lived in AZ; I was scared to death that I'd come face to fang w/a tarantula but I never saw one, thank goodness. And for the record, yes, they do bite but their bite is similar to a bee sting so it will hurt you only if you're allergic to the venom. Wouldn't matter. If a tarantula bit me, I'd die of a heart attack or stroke anyhow. I've also heard that they're jumpers but I don't know if that's an urban legend or not. No one in AZ that I talked to seemed to know. All they told me was that when the monsoons came, tarantulas walked in hordes down the main street in Sedona. Tarantulas and hordes. Two words I really don't like to hear together in a sentence. Ever. Ever. Ever. (Did I say ever?) I stayed indoors during the monsoons and nervously peered out my window til they passed.

The person who put that thing in a manila envelope is beyond brave. I'd have to quit my job just in fear of another tarantula appearing. Just the word is scary; it looks like it has legs w/out even knowing what it is. Good grief, why did I read this thread??? I'll be up all night now.

[Karen]

I've also heard that they're jumpers but I don't know if that's an urban legend or not.

It is an urban legend. From

http://www.amazingtarantulas.com/tarantulafacts.htm

"Can tarantulas jump?" - Ahhh, you've been watching "Arachnophobia," haven't you? Granted, I've heard the rumors that tarantulas can jump a few feet in the air long before that movie came out. The biggest problem is that tarantulas are very fragile, and a fall from even a few inches could injure or kill the spider. So why would a tarantula take such a dangerous leap? That is assuming that they physically CAN leap that far. Most tarantulas will "pounce" on their prey, moving a half-inch to a couple of inches forward.

With that said, there are arboreal species (tree dwellers) that can and will jump from branch to branch if necessary. If they live in trees over water, such as a brook or stream, they have been known to jump out of the tree and into the water to avoid an approaching predator. People that keep some of these arboreal species, such as the common pink toe tarantula (Avicularia avicularia), report that they will take a leap from your hand onto your chest or face - or unfortunately, the floor. (That is why you need to be careful when handling these guys!)

[molucass]

Hey we could always try to put them on a Steek..

I would much rather say "I keel you!"


Oh my.. If I had seen that any where near me, I would've made a new exit! I am soo scared of spiders!

[caseysmom]

Thats pretty cool! I didn't know we had them around here although I remember camping at ice house as a kid and my dad had one crawl up his leg.

[pomtzu]

I would much rather say "I keel you!"

Me too. Jeff hasn't had any new characters in a while. Maybe someone could put a bug in his ear??? Tommy Tarantula??? Poor Achmed would be clattering his bones in fright!

[Edwina's Secretary]

One summer when I was in college a friend and I rented an apartment. In hindsight it was horrible - but we were too young (and poor) to recognize it.

It was a Saturday night and I was washing my hair when I noticed a spider in the bathroom with me. I left the bathroom, stuffed a towel under the door and told my roommate that I had just seen the biggest, hairest spider I could imagine!

I normally do not have a problem dealing with critters - whatever method is appropriate - but this was SO BIG and SO HAIRLY.

We decided to go and get my boyfriend (we did not have a phone) and ask for his help.

As I drove saying -- over and over - THE BIGGEST-- HAIRIEST spider - I realize it was a tarantula.

Sure enough, my boyfriend - who had had them as pets in the past - identified and removed it to live another day -- NOT in our bathroom.

What you have there IS a tarantula!