Bob Dylan's first and only book of poetry. He wrote it when he was 23.

The title page text states: This is a work of fantasy and imagination.

An excerpt from the book's publisher:
"Poets and writers tell us how we feel by telling us how they feel. They find ways to express the inexpressible. Sometimes they tell the truth and sometimes they lie to us to keep our hearts from breaking.
Bob has always been out ahead, working in ways which can be hard to understand. A lot of what he wrote then in Tarantula doesn't seem so hard to understand now. People change and their feelings change. But Tarantula hasn't been changed. Bob wants it published and so it is now time to publish it."

Semi-classic science fiction film from 1955. It was directed by Jack Arnold and written by Robert M. Fresco and Martin Berkeley, based on a story by Fresco and Arnold. It starred John Agar as Dr. Matt Hastings, Mara Corday as Stephanie "Steve" Clayton, and Leo G. Carroll as Professor Gerald Deemer. Clint Eastwood has a short cameo at the end of the movie.

Basic plot: Professor Deemer is working on an experimental growth hormone in the Arizona desert. It works great on animals, but it causes acromegaly in humans. Deformed and deranged, Deemer's assistant trashes the laboratory, releasing a tarantula that soon grows into an immense horror that menaces everyone within crawling distance!

Okay, in a lot of ways, this is a cheesy, cheesy movie. As an actor, John Agar makes a great square-jawed concrete block, and Leo G. Carroll was in much better movies than this. "Tarantula" also includes my favorite piece of retro-sexist dialogue ever: "Well, whattya know! Give women the vote, and what do you get? Lady scientists!" Wow, if that don't say "1950s" to you, I don't know what will.

However, I dearly love this movie, both because of and in spite of the cheese. Next to "Them!", this is the best of the Giant Bug movies of the '50s. The mood is eerie throughout the film, and the vast, empty desert is capably used to heighten the tension of the movie. The special effects, though relatively simple, are quite realistic, even unsettling--for one thing, a real spider was used, instead of the fake ants in "Them!", and they even manage to give it a convincing shadow.

Tarantulas are another arachnid available in infinite supply in the Sonora desert. Although they look frightening, they are much less dangerous than scorpions, bees, or pack rats. Their intimidating appearance leads the uninitiated to suppose that they are poisonous or vicious, but they are neither. They make decent pets, if you're the kind of person that likes to catch bugs every night in a plastic cup, and you have the knack for calming frightened visitors down.

Tarantulas are very large, black, hairy spiders. Very large. Several times larger than any other spider in North America, I'm pretty sure. I have seen tarantulas that were a nice 6" across. They eat other bugs. Due to their mating cycles, you are likely to find large numbers of male tarantulas crawling around outside during the early months of summer. They are either looking for prospective mates or have already mated and are just waiting to die. If you feel particularly compassionate, you can do the spider a great service by catching him and putting him in a terrarium. Don't put more than one tarantula in the same terrarium.

To handle tarantulas, you need to be aware of a couple of things. Don't make any sudden moves, ever. This will scare the tarantula and it may bite. If the spider seems agitated, put it down immediately, or you may be bitten. The bite is extremely painful, as the fangs of the tarantula are in proportion with the rest of it, but carries little venom. Emergency medical treatment is not necessary. Almost worse, however, is the tarantula's other defense. Tarantulas have a patch of special hairs, called urticating hairs, that act like fine cactus spines at the spider's will. They itch unbearably and are difficult to remove. Some people may experience an allergic reaction to these, so consider wearing a glove until you are experienced at handling tarantulas.

Feed a captive tarantula crickets, moths, beetles, whatever you can find. Provide some water just in case, although I have never seen one drink. Don't kill tarantulas; it's is not only difficult, but also unnecessary. If one is in your house and you are too scared to capture it, sweep it into a dustpan with a broom, dump it in a box or garbage can, and put it back outside. They never invade homes except by mistake -- if humans were killed for their mistakes, we'd start having big problems maintaining our cities.

As well as a type of arachnid, the Tarantula is a heavy-support platform in the realm of Warhammer 40000. There are two variations on the Tarantula, depending whether you are a fan of Warhammer 40000 or Space Crusade.

In both games, the Tarantula consists of two heavy weapons mounted on a small platform, supported by four legs. Traditionally, the Tarantula also has a blast shield, but this is only in Space Crusade, where it is designed to be a mobile platform, and is operated by a single Space Marine, whereas in Warhammer 40000, it has been developed into a stationary turret, incorporating its own Machine Spirit, allowing it to attack autonomously.

The weapon patterns also vary between versions. The traditional Space Crusade model is armed with two lascannons, allowing it to make mincemeat out of any gretchin, android, or Dreadnought which comes your way, especially since it allows the user to split down the shots to attack three different targets, instead of just one.

In Warhammer 40000 however, there are many armaments for such a device, ranging from the traditional lascannons, heavy bolters for anti-troop support, or multi-meltas for an extra bit of anti-tank firepower.

No matter the variation of the Tarantula, it is and will remain a valuable tool of divine retribution in the far future, where there is only war.

Tarantulas can walk on walls. Did you know that?

I didn't,

until I woke up about a week ago and saw one on the wall above my bed watching me sleep.
I could not see its eyes but I'm sure it was watching me sleep.

A nice wake-up surprise, it was.

Kingdom Animalia
Phylum Anthropoda
Sub Phylum Chelicerata
Class Arachnida
Order Arenae
Sub Order Mygalomorphae
Family Theraphosidae

Etymology

The name "tarantula" originates from a spider that resides in the area around the Southern Italian town of Taranto. Interestingly, this "original" tarantula — the European wolf spider — is only distantly related to the spiders popularly associated with the term.

According to local myth, a bite from one of these creatures is deadly and can only be countered by a furious dance called the Tarantella, consisting of spins and jumps performed until the dancer collapses from exhaustion.

Tarantula

Tarantulas are the largest spiders in the world.

Now, tarantulas as we know them — any of the 800-plus species making up the large and hairy family of Theraphosidae — are found worldwide. They prefer dry soil that drains well. Most live in burrows lined with silk to keep out trickling debris; some hide under shaded logs; some build silk nests on cliff faces and in trees.

Tarantulas vary a bit in size: counting legspan, an inch to twelve inches across.

Most dinner plates are roughly ten inches.

Most of these spiders are a rather plain black, brown, or tan. The pink zebra beauty is black with white stripes; the greenbottle blue has metallic blue legs and a bright orange abdomen.

Tarantulas are hairy. New world species have a thick coat of urticating hairs on the abdomen and back legs that detach and cause irritation when the spider is threatened or mishandled. The hairs also make handy territory markers and egg-sac protectors. In people, urticating hairs usually cause a mild rash; but some entusiasts are forced to resign their pet spiders because allergic reactions are severe enough to constrict breathing. Once detached, urticating hairs leave behind a noticeable bald spot that remains until the next molt.

Tarantulas breathe through book lungs located on the underside of the abdomen, so-called because they consist of many layers of skin — like pages in a book — that take oxygen from the outside air with passing blood. Like gills for dry land.

Tarantulas hiss by rubbing their jaws, legs, or palps together. Hissing spiders.

Sexual maturity occurs several years after hatching, preceded by a series of molts. These are long-lived critters: captive specimens have lived 40 years. In late summer sexually mature males leave their hiding places and walk about, searching for females. Upon finding a prospective mate, the fellow vibrates his abdomen and taps his legs; if the gesture is returned coupling begins.

Males are wise to leave soon afterward to avoid being eaten.

The mechanics of tarantulan intercourse are different from yours and mine. The male pastes a web to a flat surface and rubs his abdomen against it, depositing a quantity of semen. He then retrieves the semen with his pedipalps — leg-like appendages between the chelicerae and front legs — and deposits them in the corresponding genital opening in the underside of the female's abdomen during the mating ritual.

After mating, the female fills a sac with a mixture of semen and some 500 to 1,000 eggs and stands guard for several weeks while the spiderlings incubate. The young tarantulas remain in the burrow for some time after hatching, then scatter in all directions.

Tarantulas are nocturnal hunters, and are deviously well-equipped. While their eyesight shows them little more than movement and shades of light and dark, their hairs are sensitive enough to detect the size and location of approaching prey from vibrations in the ground. Tarantulas are ambush artists, typically waiting just out of sight or half inside their lair. They will attack anything reasonably sized, including small lizards; some of the largest tarantulas eat birds. Captured prey is held in place with the palps and ground into a ball which is dissolved from the outside with digestive fluids.

Tarantula as delicacy

In the South American Amazon, tarantulas are considered a delicacy. They are a cousin to shellfish and are said to taste like shrimp.

To eat a tarantula:

1. Hold it down with a stick.
2. Bend its legs up and tie them together.
3. Roast it alive in a folded leaf.
4. Enjoy.

Tarantula as pet

Although tarantulas are frightening to look at, they are harmless to people. It did not take long for folks to figure out that they would make cool pets.

Keep your tarantula in a well-ventilated container, be it a plastic box or terrarium. Potting soil makes a good substrate because it's easy to dig. Don't use cedar chips — they're toxic to most spiders. While sand works well for small reptiles, it's bad for tarantulas because it can't be burrowed. Of course, burrowing tarantulas require a much deeper layer of substrate.

Feed your tarantula crickets, moths, mealworms, flies, and cockroaches. If your tarantula is large it may accept live baby rodents. As a rule of thumb, limit prey to half your tarantula's size. Buy from clean sources to ensure that food is not contaminated with pesticides. Remove uneaten dead prey within 24 hours to keep conditions healthy. Provide drinking water in shallow containers or misted on the walls of the enclosure.

Most tarantulas are safe in 70-85 degrees Farenheit. Monitor temperature assiduously. Higher temperatures result in faster metabolism and dehydration. Provide humidity according to species by moisturizing the substrate. Provide heat with an incandescent black light that won't disturb the spider. If you own a desert species, let the temperature drop 10 degrees at night.

All tarantulas are cannibalistic, so don't enclose them communally unless you're an experienced owner.

Tarantulas may not eat for a week before molting. Uneaten prey will stress your spider during molting, and formidable meals can injure or kill. White molting your spider will be on its back; it is not dead. Wait three days after completion to resume feeding.

Handling your tarantula is not advisable, primarily for the sake of the tarantula. These animals are easily injured. For your sake, don't make sudden movements or be rough. When threatened, the tarantula will rear up and hiss; next, it will slap downward with its forelimbs; failing that, it will flick urticating hairs toward the perceived threat; with all other options exhausted, it will either bite or turn tail and run.

If bitten, let the bleeding wash the puncture out from within. Wash externally with soap and water. Remove urticating hairs with tape. Never surprise a tarantula.

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Sources

Overton, Martin. "Tarantula Facts."
http://www2.tltc.ttu.edu/thomas/classpet/1999/Tarantula-Facts.htm

Wikipedia.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tarantula

Desert USA.
http://www.desertusa.com/july96/du_taran.htm

Tarantulas dot com.
www.tarantulas.com/care.asp

Ta*ran"tu*la (?), n.; pl. E. Tarantulas (#), L. Tarantulae (#). [NL., fr. It. tarantola, fr. L. Tarentum, now Taranto, in the south of Italy.] Zool.

Any one of several species of large spiders, popularly supposed to be very venomous, especially the European species (Tarantula apuliae). The tarantulas of Texas and adjacent countries are large species of Mygale.

[Written also tarentula.]

Tarantula killer, a very large wasp (Pompilus formosus), which captures the Texan tarantula (Mygale Hentzii) and places it in its nest as food for its young, after paralyzing it by a sting.

 

© Webster 1913.