Theraphosidae

Yep, I actually did learn something from my Biology class (and retained). From the family Theraphoside and the class Arachnida I bring to you what we ran into while taking a walk at the park yesterday.




I won't lie at first it kinda freaked me out! I have never seen a tarantula before and this sucker was HUGE! But it was really cool to see. We watched it for a little while before it went down into a ditch.
Today I read some cool stuff about tarantulas. I didn't know they molt and we thought the hairs on their legs were their form of defense but it is actually the hair on their abdomen. Also they can get as big as 1 foot!!! I wouldn't want to run into that guy, even though they really aren't threatening it would be creepy! Hope you enjoy!! (PS Kris, this one might make you scream!)