Are there tarantulas in austin texas

Tarantulas mainly eat bugs, such as crickets, caterpillars, grasshoppers and different kinds of beetles. That being said, some of the biggest tarantulas will go after snakes, lizards, small rodents, small birds and even other tarantulas.

If you do encounter a tarantula, the best thing to do is react calmly. Chances are, nothing will happen. Their only desire will be to get away and hide. If, however, the tarantula feels disturbed, they may act in a defensive manner. This involves turning to face you, raising up on their hind legs and spreading their front legs wide to seem bigger and more threatening.

You may even see them brush their abdomen with their legs. They do this to dislodge hair because it can irritate the skin or eyes of an attacking creature. Need Help Getting Rid of Pests? Photo by Jackman. Order: Araneae. They are relatively common throughout Texas and their large size makes them quite recognizable. Typically, the head-thorax region cephalothorax and legs are dark brown, the abdomen brownish black.

Color may vary between individuals and certainly changes after a molt. There are 14 species of tarantulas in the genus, Aphonopelma , listed from Texas in a recent work. Identification of species is difficult and requires mature males, a microscope, proper literature and experience. Life Cycle: Females lay to 1, eggs in a web which is constructed like a hammock. The egg sac is retained in the burrow, guarded, and usually held by the female.

Eggs hatch in 45 to 60 days. The only spider species that can be harmful to humans in Texas are the Black widow Latrodectus mactans and the Brown recluse Loxosceles recluse. Common to many southern and Midwestern states, the brown recluse thrives in the Texas climate.

Texas is also home to the southern, western and northern black widow. Some people bitten experience severe pain around the bite site, heavy sweating, muscular pains, vomiting, headaches and giddiness.

Most brown recluse spider bites take about 3 weeks to heal. For those with more severe bites, the site of the wound starts to develop necrotic dead tissue called eschar. As the name implies, Texas brown tarantulas are, well, brown. More specifically, dark brown to black. And they have hair that covers most of their bodies.

Venomous spiders found in the Southeast include: Black widow — identified by the pattern of red coloration on the underside of its abdomen.