Wednesday, January 6, 2010

Oklahoma Brown Tarantula



This beautiful spider is the Oklahoma Brown Tarantula (Aphonopelma hentzi). They are native to Oklahoma, Texas, Kansas and Missouri. They are sometimes called the Texas Brown Tarantula. Their common name comes from their beautiful chocolate brown coloring. Their carapace is a lovely shade of caramel. Mature males will take on a copper hue on their carapace. These are an averaged sized tarantula with a body size up to 2 inches and a leg span up to 4 or 5 inches. The one pictured here I purchased off of a breeder at a local reptile show. I thought she would make a good addition to my nature programs. Adults and children alike are sure to be fascinated by her, and amazed that we actually do have tarantulas in Missouri. This particular species is not known to be aggressive, and are finding a following in the pet trade. They are especially good for beginner tarantula owners, such as myself. I am gradually working up my nerve to handle her. This is a huge feat for me, a self-proclaimed hater of spiders. Okay...I don't actually HATE spiders, they just scare the poo outta me. You might say this beautiful little girl is my therapy, in overcoming my fears. In the second picture you can see I did let her crawl part way onto my hand. This is going to be a slow process....I can tell that already...LOL



In the wild these spiders prefer dry rocky glades. In Missouri they will be found throughout the southern portion of the state where the habitat is much more suitable to them. Harry S. Truman State Park seems to have a large population of these spiders. Shy by nature, they are quick to retreat and hide from humans. Most people are naturally intimidated by these large hairy spiders, but they are far more scared of you than you are of them (trust me). These spiders are capable of spinning silk, just like any spider, they just do not spin webs. At least not the typical webs that we normally associate with spiders. Instead they will reside in old rodent dens and other natural cavities, and spin a nice silken lining within this hide-out. They will rest inside these burrows during the hottest parts of the day. When the sun begins to set, these spiders become active and leave their dens to look for food. Typically they will dine on grasshoppers, crickets and other arthropods, but it is not unusual for them to feed on young mice, amphibians and baby birds. Yes, many tarantulas can climb, and this particular species is very adept at it. Late in the summer and early fall many who live in Southern Missouri may have witnessed the males of this species crossing the highways and other roadways throughout the Ozark area. These large migrations of males is not fully studied or documented in Missouri as it has been in other states. One may assume they are seeking females with which to mate. I would hate to think of these gorgeous spiders being squished under the tires of all those passing vehicles, and I guess it is too much to ask for motorist to slow down, pull over or otherwise try NOT TO run over them. After all, a lot of peoples natural instinct is to kill spiders, and being able to use a 2 ton vehicle probably offers them some satisfaction in that endeavor.   I could not find any information about their population stability in Missouri, I would assume they are stable. If this species is something you think you might like to own, I would recommend finding a breeder and purchase one. Removing them from the wild  may in fact be illegal, always wise to find out. On top of that you are taking from the wild a natural predator that helps control harmful insect populations. Then there is the consideration, that by purchasing one from a breeder you are more likely to get a "tame" one that is reluctant to bite. Whereas a wild caught one, may be more defensive and prone to try and bite. Anytime you are dealing with a creature like tarantulas, that possess large fangs, there is always the possibility of a bite, so removing one of the variables is probably wise. The captive bred tarantulas have been breed over several generations and are used to human sights, sounds and smells. I will keep you all posted as to how the tarantula handling comes along on my end....

26 comments:

  1. We're so proud of you. My wife had an inordinate fear of wasps, but she hung around me long enough that now she is a little TOO friendly with them (IMHO). Thanks for the post.

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  2. Thank you for the boast, but don't be too proud of me yet, wait until I let little miss fuzzy legs crawl "completely" onto my hand, then I will deserve any praise I can get for not flinging her across the room...LOL

    Around here my husband is afraid of wasps, very afraid.....RAID afraid! he is a work in progress

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  3. I've never been particularly afraid of spiders, but to be honest about it, I've never handled one either. So you are ahead of me in the spider-handling game.

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  4. Last year I bought a baby Oklahoma Brown tarantula and it escaped, so I suspect that somewhere in my house resides a maturing tarantula that will someday when we least expect crawl out of hiding and make its way into one of our beds and give us that "stare" as it sits right in the middle of our chest.

    I used to be so afraid of spiders that I would not go to bed if I knew one was in the house. I would make my husband dispose of the trespasser. He couldn't just tell me he took care of it, I had to see the body! Since that time I've gotten over that deep seated fear, now I am trying to conquer my fear completely.

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  5. Wow... good for you for overcoming your fears!

    I must say, this girl looks so huge and hairy, that even though I handle all kinds of bugs and love little spiders (I invite them to stay at strategic half-hidden spots in the house), she kind of freaked me out when I opened the page. As long as I knew she was not going to injure me, though, and could meditate for a few moments beforehand, I think I might be all right to try holding her.

    But wow, you certainly set your jumps high, if you're already afraid of little spiders to begin with. :)

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  6. LOL, overcoming this fear has truly been a work in progress. I went from unreasonable phobic fear, to ignoring the spiders and pretending they weren't there, then to accepting that they are a necessary evil, then I made the leap of looking at them and appreciating their beauty. This is my final step in my therapy...LOL. Handling a tarantula. She is large, but oh so lovely. She just doesn't seem intimidating. I even let the basement spiders live in peace now.

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  7. She is a beaut, but did you read the article in this week's NYT science section? Check out:
    this link
    Be careful out there!

    -Dean

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  8. Thanks Dean, I read the link, amazing! I knew tarantulas are capable of "ejecting" hairs as a defensive mechanism. I wish they would have told the name of the tarantula. Some are much more aggressive than others. Some of the information I read about them mentioned possible allergies to the hairs, in certain individuals who may be especially sensitive. This species is supposed to be one of the most gentle, so hopefully she won't pose a problem.

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  9. Hello MObugs!

    We recently finished reading 'The Tarantula Scientist' by Sy Montgomery, which was an amazing look at these animals. We dreamed of bringing one into our lives as you have, and it would truly be challenging to get comfortable with letting them crawl on you! We're so proud of you for establishing a friendship with a species that you felt afraid of. It's a truly beautiful thing to open ourselves to an experience like that.

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  10. Thank you for telling me about Sy's book. I will have to try and find it. You know how I love to read and learn about new books.
    My new little friend is just so darn adorable that I can't be too afraid...LOL
    If she doesn't bite me then I will consider it "a truly beautiful thing" hehehe

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  11. We really were amazed at your photos -- she truly is beautiful, and we wish we could meet her. Sy describes picking up a tarantula and being afraid of dropping it! She didn't have super glue along, if we recall directly, which is what they use for arachnid first-aid, and she didn't want to hurt the tarantula. She's braver than we would be! =)This particular book is a children's book, but though we thought we knew a lot about tarantulas, we learned TONS, and the photography is amazing. What a world we live in to be able to share it with creatures such as your tarantula. Does she have a name?

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  12. My fear of spiders started in my early childhood days. Not sure if something traumatic happened or if I just inherited an irrational fear from my parents. When I was 22 my husband and I moved to the farm and I was literally surrounded by arachnids....of all shapes and sizes. It was like being thrown in the deep end and told to swim. I became so used to their presence that they just didn't bother me like they used to. So then I got to thinking....why not overcome this fear entirely by handling a tarantula. When I found this little beauty I was fascinated by her that I had to own her. She truly is lovely and very cute. I am sure people will think I am nuts for believing that a tarantula is "cute". I am constantly amazed at the diversity of life in Missouri. To know that these large spiders live a mere 3 hours from my home intrigues me. Last fall we drive to Truman State Parka and I made a special effort to locate some on the rocky glades there. We did not find a tarantula, but we did find a Southern Black Widow. I found Sy's book on Half.com and purchased it to use for children's programs. I am working on a new project and I've recruited a few people to help me. I am trying to get a nature club for kids started in NW Missouri. I'm am thinking Miss Ella here needs to be our mascot. A good friend of mine is grossed out by tarantulas, and suggested the name "Gross-Ella" or just Ella for short. It made me laugh, so she became Ella.

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  13. Ella! We love it! And now you have us so excited about you finding that Black Widow -- we've never seen one! Also just wanted to say that we think it's totally cool that you think she's 'cute' =)

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  14. The black widow was truly an exciting find. She was much smaller than I thought they were. The Southern Black Widow has a little bit different marking on their abdomen than the traditional "hourglass". It was more of a series of red dots. I flipped over a rock and she was residing there. I regret to say in my eagerness to get a closer look and photograph her, I accidently crushed her with a rock. I was devastated and nearly cried. We also spotted numerous Brown Recluses while we were camping. Many of them were near the lights at the bath house. I am hoping to return to Truman Lake State Park this spring or summer. With any luck I will find the tarantula's that reside there.

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  15. I live in Tulsa,Ok,is there any place near hear were I could go find and capture one

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    1. We live south of McAlester and I have seen four in the last week. Two in our yard and two in the road. If you still want one now is the time

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  16. Miles I am not familiar with the Tulsa area having only visited there once a few years ago. I know in Missouri they are found around rocky glades and are secretive. They typically become active during the early evening hours. Females tend to stay close to their burrows, whereas males are roamers and will be seen crossing roadways and walking trails seeking females. If you cannot locate a wild one, try ordering a captive bred one. They are relatively inexpensive and tarantulasinc.com usually has them.

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  17. I found an Oklahoma Brown Trantula on my stove at five am recently. Having intended to start my morning coffee, she walked up to me in the predawn darkness, just calming standing there. I said to her you need a home, and I need my coffee. So I had her walk into a jar and gave her a terrium to live in with water and crickets and an old burl from an oak tree to live in. She is quite happy it seems. This is very interesting spider who has taught me much about her kind. She inspires conversations!

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  18. i found a texas brown tarantula and i have him in a 5 gallon tank but he is just always trying to get out. should i make the tank area smaller so he would be more comfortable? he hasnt made a den in the two weeks i have had him. PLEASE HELP!

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  19. These tarantulas are expert climbers. The fact that yours is a wild caught specimen instead of a captive bred one, could explain its desire to look for a place to escape. I would worry too much about it. I think eventually it will settle down. If you haven't already I would provide a hideout for it. You can use a butter dish with an appropriate sized hole cut in the side. Or you can buy nice ones at pet supply stores like PetCo. That may satisfy it's desire to hide. I think the 5 gallon tank is a good size to have it in. I kept mine in one that size for a long time, and just recently purchased a nicer habitat tank for it.

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  20. I meant to say Wouldn't worry not would

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  21. thanks very much Shelley! i just did not want anything to happen to Sylas, he is my nieces and she loves him.

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  22. I just caught one and decided to keep it. Havent kept one since i was ellevn but i used to handle the crap out of them. Even going so far as to put them on my head. pretty easy to take care of and pretty kool watch em take on lizards.

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  23. Hey Mobug, Go for it. Working for Halliburton has presented me with plenty of oppertunities for my daughter's bug collection and her latest addition is a Texas brown tarantula as a pet. I had one as a teenager and let me tell you, they make a great conversation piece as well as a most unusual pet. You'll enjoy having her.

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  24. Well miss Mobugs, I got my tarantula home for my daughter and she and "Harry" as we call him, I think, got to know each other and have bonded right off the bat. My 12 year old daughter is quite the tom boy/country girl and loves all animals and bugs. I can only encourage this interest. As I mentioned previously, Halliburton presents more than ample oppertunity to find all kinds of specimens.

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  25. All spiders deserve to meet the underside of my boot

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