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Mizgir. South Russian tarantula: what it looks like, where it lives, what to feed at home Is the mizgir spider dangerous and what does it eat

Domain: eukaryotes

Kingdom: Animals

Type of: arthropods

Class: arachnids

Squad: Spiders

Family: Spiders — wolves

Genus: tarantulas

Range, habitats

The South Russian tarantula is the most impressive spider that lives in the vast territory of the former Soviet Union. Lycosa singoriensis lives in the Caucasus, Central Asia, Ukraine and Belarus (where in 2008 it was seen in the floodplains of the Sozh, Dnieper and Pripyat rivers).

In our country, it is distributed almost everywhere: residents of the Tambov, Orel, Nizhny Novgorod, Saratov, Belgorod, Kursk and Lipetsk regions find it on their beds.

In large quantities, the spider is found in the Astrakhan and Volgograd regions (especially near the Volga), as well as in the Stavropol Territory. The tarantula has long been "registered" in the Crimea, after which he managed to crawl to Bashkiria, Siberia and even to the Trans-Baikal Territory.

The South Russian tarantula loves a dry climate, often settling in the steppe, semi-desert and desert zones (with access to natural water bodies). Villagers encounter the spider in fields, garden plots, orchards (during potato harvest), and on hillsides.

Tarantula: description, structure, characteristics

The tarantula belongs to the type of arthropods, the class of arachnids, the order of spiders, the family of wolf spiders and the genus of tarantulas proper. Like many arthropods, the body of the tarantula is covered with fine hairs. In general, in the structure of the body of a tarantula, two main parts are distinguished: the cephalothorax and the abdomen.

At the top of the tarantula's head there are as many as eight eyes, with 4 of them located in a straight line, and the remaining larger eyes are located in the form of a trapezoid. Thanks to this arrangement of the eyes, tarantulas have a 360-degree field of view. Also, in addition to well-developed vision, these spiders also have an excellent sense of smell, with which they can smell potential prey at a considerable (as for these insects) distance.

The size of the tarantula varies from 2.5 to 10 cm. The span of the paws of this spider can reach 30 cm. Like many insects in the world, female tarantulas are usually many times larger than males.

Throughout their lives, tarantulas change the peculiar chitinous “armor” that covers their body several times. Also, the tarantula has four pairs of long hairy legs, allowing the spider to move comfortably on a loose or even water surface. The mandibles of the tarantula are covered with poisonous channels, they are very strong and serve the spider as a means of defense and attack.

The color of the tarantula is usually brown, gray or black. Although sometimes there are representatives of these spiders, which have lighter colors.

What is the difference between a tarantula and a tarantula?

Often tarantulas are confused with the tarantula spider, to put an end to this, here are the differences between them:

Tarantulas differ from tarantulas in the structure of chelicerae. In tarantulas they move in a parallel direction, in tarantulas in a medal direction towards each other.
Also, these spiders belong to different families, tarantulas - to the family of wolf spiders, tarantulas - to the family of tarantulas.

Types of tarantulas

The genus of tarantulas includes more than 200 varieties of spiders. Among them, the following types are the most famous.

Apulian tarantula (true tarantula)

He has a size of 7 cm. Females of this species are characterized by a combined coloration, consisting of a dark cephalothorax, outlined by a light thin strip, and a red abdomen, decorated with several transverse stripes framed by a red-white border. The male tarantula has a more modest monochromatic appearance. Apulian tarantulas live mainly on mountain slopes in vertical burrows up to 0.6 m deep, which can be found by a characteristic roll of dried leaves framing the entrance.

Unlike many fellow spiders, true tarantulas do not spin webs. During the day, they prefer to sit out in a hole, and at twilight and night hours they leave their shelter to hunt insects. In anticipation of the winter cold, poisonous spiders seal the entrance to their home, using dry grass intertwined with cobwebs for this, and hibernate.

The life expectancy of a tarantula in natural conditions after the onset of puberty does not exceed 2-3 years for males and 4-5 years for females. Apulian tarantulas live in countries such as Italy and Algeria, Spain and Libya, Portugal and Morocco, Egypt and Sudan.

South Russian tarantula or mizgir

It is an inhabitant of fields, gardens and orchards, slopes of ravines and river banks. The habitat of the tarantula is the steppe, semi-desert and desert zones of Russia, Belarus, Ukraine and the countries of Central Asia. The size of the mizgir tarantula rarely exceeds 35 mm in females and 25 mm in males. The color of the spider depends on the color of the soil in the habitat, so there are light brown, black-brown or reddish specimens with spots of various shapes and sizes.

A characteristic feature of this type of spider is the presence of a dark "cap" on its head. The depth of the burrows in which poisonous tarantulas live often reaches 0.5 m. The entrance to the burrow is protected by a low wall consisting of excavated soil and reinforced with grass and plant remains. During rain or the molting process, the entrance to the shelter is sealed with earth and cobwebs.

Like all representatives of the wolf spider family, mizgiri do not weave webs to catch prey, but hunt insects while sitting in a mink or not far from it. In anticipation of the onset of cold weather, South Russian tarantulas descend to the very bottom of the hole, having previously sealed the entrance to it with a thick earthen plug. South Russian tarantulas live no more than 3-5 years. The life span of females is longer than that of males.

Tarantula Lycosa narbonensis

It reaches a size of 5-6 cm. The body of the poisonous spider is brown-black, the legs are long, covered with hairs. Tarantulas are found in Italy, France, Macedonia, Malta, Spain, the countries of the former Yugoslavia and northern Africa.

spanish tarantula

Lives in the south of Europe and in the countries of northern Africa. Tarantulas eat small invertebrates and also practice cannibalism. The spider was previously considered a subspecies of the Apulian tarantula, but has been treated as a separate species since 2013.

brazilian tarantula

It lives in the countries of South America: Brazil, Uruguay, Paraguay, in the northern, northeastern and central parts of Argentina. Like other representatives of the genus, the Brazilian tarantula has 8 eyes arranged in 3 rows. In the bottom row there are 4 small eyes, a little higher are 2 large eyes, and 2 more are on the sides of the head. The size of a tarantula is approximately 3 cm, excluding legs. The color of the spider is dark brown. A light longitudinal stripe is located on the head, which acquires a yellowish tint in the upper part of the back. In the center of the upper abdomen, the strip takes the form of an arrow that points forward. The lower part of the abdomen of a poisonous spider is black. Chelicerae are reddish-brown. Tarantulas feed on crickets, cockroaches and other spiders.

Tarantula Lycosa poliostoma

Lives in the countries of South America: Brazil, Uruguay, Argentina, Paraguay. It lives in gardens, steppes, meadows, during the day it hides among the grass or in trees, in stones or burrows, leads a nocturnal lifestyle. Like other species, these tarantulas eat crickets, cockroaches, small insects, and other spiders. The length of the spider, excluding legs, is 3 cm. The color of the tarantula is gray-brown or dark brown. On the head is a light longitudinal stripe. In the upper part of the abdomen, the strip takes the form of an arrow that points forward. The underside of the tarantula's abdomen is black. The color of the chelicera is light, which distinguishes this type of spider from the Brazilian tarantula. Females are larger than males, but females have shorter legs.

Tarantula Lycosa leuckarti

This is a gray-brown spider. The length of males reaches 0.9 cm, females - 1.2 cm (excluding legs). This species of tarantula lives in Australia.

Tarantula Lycosa coelestis

Lives in Japan and Taiwan. The length of females reaches 13-18 mm. The size of the male tarantula is 11-13 mm. The body color is brown, on the back there are 2 longitudinal dark stripes. The inner side of the abdomen of the tarantula is black, for which the spider received the name "black-bellied tarantula".

Lifestyle

Tarantula digs holes mainly on the slopes of mountains. Burrows are up to 50-60 centimeters deep. The entrance to them is bordered by a small roller, consisting of dry leaves. During the day, the tarantula usually sits in a hole, and at night it goes for prey, which consists of various insects. In winter, the tarantula clogs its dwelling with dry plants intertwined with cobwebs. Young spiders (up to 300 pieces) emerge from the facial cocoon and stay on the mother's body for some time.

In Russia, the most common type of tarantula is mizgir (Latin name Lycosa singoriensis). Its color is very variable and sometimes black-brown, sometimes light brown, sometimes reddish with various spots. It is noted that the coloration is largely adapted to the environment, mainly the color of the soil.

What do tarantulas eat?

The food of tarantulas is quite varied and consists of small insects and amphibians. Tarantulas eat caterpillars, bears, crickets, cockroaches, hunt beetles and small frogs.

These predators wait for their prey, hiding in a mink, or choose another shelter for this. Having attacked the victim, tarantulas paralyze it with their poison, which dissolves all the insides of the prey, turning them into a nutrient fluid. After waiting for time, the spiders simply suck out the resulting "energy cocktail".

It is noted that the size of the prey of tarantulas does not exceed the size of the hunter himself, and the process of its absorption can last several days. Despite their voracity, poisonous spiders are able to do without food for a long time, the main thing is to have access to water. A case has been recorded when a female Apulian tarantula was able to live without food for more than 2 years.

Reproduction and lifespan of a tarantula

In the warm season, adults are busy looking for a pair. In males, the instinct of self-preservation is dulled, so they can be seen even during the day. When he finds a female, he taps his legs on the ground, vibrates his abdomen and quickly moves his limbs, announces his presence.

If she accepts courtship, repeats the movements after him. What happens next is lightning fast. After the transfer of sperm, the male runs away so as not to be eaten by the female, since during this period she needs protein. Then the female falls asleep until spring in her mink.

In spring, she will come to the surface to expose her abdomen to the sun's rays, then lay her eggs (300-400 pcs.) In a woven web. Then he puts it in a cocoon and wears it on himself. As soon as the babies show signs of life, the mother will gnaw through the cocoon and help the spiderlings out. Babies will nest on their mother's body in layers until they become independent. Then the mother will resettle the young, gradually throwing them off.

Growing a tarantula at home

If you have decided that you want to have such an unusual friend at home, then you can be completely calm - caring for him requires a minimum of effort. For this reason, if you are a busy person, but want to get a little friend, you have made the right choice. Having provided him with the necessary living conditions at the very beginning of your friendship, we can assume that the most difficult thing is over.

Typically, indoor arthropods are housed in small terrariums. A prerequisite for your comfortable living together will be the presence of a cover for the terrarium. After all, we must not forget for a second that this is still a spider. And he tends to weave a web, which he can serve as a ladder from his house to yours, and also that this is a poisonous creature and its bite, although not fatal, is nevertheless not very pleasant.

It is also recommended to equip his dwelling so that he can sometimes retire. For the construction of shelters, natural materials are best suited, for example, the crown of trees or various branches. And you do not have to spend money, and your pupil will feel almost like in his native lands.

Flooring should be prepared from moss, sand, earth and clay. It must be remembered that this spider is still a hard worker and loves to build houses for himself, so the flooring layer should allow the inhabitant of the terrarium to dig at least a small mink for himself.

A necessary attribute in his house will be a container that will always be filled with clean drinking water and a small pool. It is in the pool that he will swim. After all, the most common cause of death of tarantulas is dehydration. To prevent such an unpleasant situation, it is also necessary to carry out regular spraying of its territory. The temperature in his "apartment" should always be in the range of 24–28 degrees, and the air humidity should be at least 50%.

Menu for a big-eyed pet. The diet of a domestic tarantula is not much different from this process in the wild. His food list should include a variety of living creatures that match the size of your pet arachnite, such as cockroaches, crickets, small worms, and grasshoppers. The regularity of eating varies depending on the age category of your arthropod. If this is a young individual, then it is necessary to feed it twice a week, but if we are talking about an already adult spider, then the optimal frequency of eating is once every 8–10 days. You must immediately remove the leftovers from the "table" of your companion. It would be very good from time to time to feed your lodger with various vitamin complexes, which will have a very positive effect on his health, and, accordingly, on the duration of his life span.
Correct neighborhood. It is not recommended to settle several individuals in one terrarium, this can not only provoke their aggression from each other, but in a fit of anger they will simply eat each other.
Communication with a toxic friend."Everything has its time!" - this saying is, by the way, suitable for tarantulas. After some time, he will get used to you and will not perceive you as an object that poses a threat to him. Pick up this kind of pet should be carefully and carefully, avoiding sudden movements.

Danger

All types of tarantulas are poisonous. The poison lies in the glands located in the cephalothorax and opening at the top of the mandible tentacles, with which the spider pierces the skin of its prey in order to then suck it out. Tarantulas do not attack humans on their own, but if they are teased, then especially females carrying an egg cocoon or having young spiders on them jump up and can bite a person.

For humans, a tarantula bite is never fatal, but causes swelling and pain in the bitten area. In addition, sometimes the skin becomes yellow and remains so for quite a long time (up to 2 months). There is no reliable information about a fatal outcome for a person from a tarantula bite.

Buy tarantula

This can be done through free classifieds sites, social networks or specialized forums where fans of large spiders gather.

An individual of the South Russian tarantula is offered to be purchased for 1 thousand. rubles and send you to another city with an opportunity. Do not forget to find out before buying how responsible the seller of arthropods is, and only after that transfer the money. Watching a tarantula is no doubt very interesting, but do not relax - it is, after all, poisonous and bites without much thought.

There is no exact information about the etymology of the name of this genus of spiders. However, most researchers believe that its origin goes back to the Renaissance. Then, many convulsive seizures that occur in humans were associated with spider bites, which lived in large numbers in the vicinity of Italian cities, including the city of Taranto in southern Italy, where the largest number of bitten was noted. It is thanks to this city that the spiders got their name. It is noteworthy that in order to cure the disease, medieval physicians prescribed to dance to exhaustion a special dance - the tarantella.
The tarantula is literally tied to its hole. When a spider crawls out of its dwelling, a web stretches behind it. And if the web suddenly breaks, then often the tarantula loses coordination and is unable to find its hole. In this case, the spider digs a new home for itself.
The blood of a tarantula contains an antidote to its poison. Therefore, when bitten, if possible, it is necessary to knead the spider and lubricate the bite with its blood.
The tarantula can regenerate its legs. If the tarantula loses a leg, then after the next molt, a new one, only smaller in size, grows in place of the lost leg.
The body length of the largest tarantulas is about six centimeters, excluding the span of the paws.
Tarantulas can make webs, but they don't weave webs for hunting. They use cobwebs to cover their egg clutches and insulate their burrows for the winter.
The outer chitinous skeleton of tarantulas is very fragile, so any fall can inflict fatal injury on them.
At the end of the paws of the tarantula there are retractable claws, like those of cats, which help them to hold on, climbing wherever they please.
All tarantulas are venomous, but their venom is not capable of killing humans.
Female tarantulas live up to thirty years, but males - three to five times less.
With a relatively modest body size, the paw span of a tarantula can reach 20-25 centimeters. No wonder people are afraid of them.
In terms of toxicity and consequences, a tarantula bite for humans is comparable to a bee sting.
A tarantula will only bite a person when cornered, otherwise it will prefer to run away.
In case of a serious threat, the tarantulas tear out stinging hairs from the abdomen with their hind legs and throw them at the enemy with force.
Tarantulas are nocturnal. They hunt by sneaking up on prey and suddenly attacking it.
Tarantulas are fragile creatures. They have very thin skin on their abdomens. Falling is deadly for him. Therefore, it is not necessary to take the spider in hand. They produce silk for their web. Females need silk in the “interior” of the burrow to strengthen the walls, males need it as a packaging material for storing eggs, and traps are also made from silk near the mink.

The South Russian tarantula, or mizgir (lat. Lycosa singoriensis) belongs to the family of Wolf Spiders (Lycosidae) and is its largest representative in Central Europe. The body length of females reaches 4 cm, and together with legs 7 cm. The chelicerae of this spider are powerful enough to bite through human skin.

Its venom is comparable in toxicity to bee venom (apitoxin). It is not dangerous to humans and, as a rule, does not cause harm to health. Painful sensations pass after a few hours. At the site of the bite, redness and swelling may occur for 2-3 days. Due to the relatively low aggressiveness, attacks on humans by the South Russian tarantula are extremely rare.

The species was first described in 1770 by the Swedish naturalist Erik Laxman.

Spreading

The habitat extends from Central Europe through Ukraine and the southern regions of Russia to Central Asia. Its western border runs through Austria and Hungary. There are also small isolated populations in Transbaikalia, Mongolia, and northwestern China.

South Russian tarantulas prefer to settle in steppes with low grassy vegetation and semi-deserts. They are often found in salt marshes. They are extremely rarely observed in the forest-steppe zone or forests.

They appeared in Europe in the second half of the 18th century. In the middle of the 20th century, several specimens were discovered in Moravia, the eastern part of the Czech Republic.

Behavior

Mizgir digs a vertical hole up to 40-50 cm deep and 2-4 cm in diameter, lining it with cobwebs from the inside. He is sensitive to any movement of insects at her entrance.

Noticing a shadow running over the inlet, the spider instantly jumps out and grabs the prey.

At night, South Russian tarantulas leave their shelter and hunt near it. With the help of sensitive hairs on the body and limbs, they feel the slightest vibrations of the soil and accurately determine the location of a potential hunting trophy.

This spider does not weave trapping webs, limiting itself to signal threads that it places around its shelter. Its victims are most often beetles, crickets and grasshoppers.

In case of danger, the mizgir stands on its hind limbs, raises the front part of the body and threatens the attacker with chelicerae. He suffers from cannibalism and can eat his smaller counterparts.

Natural enemies are road wasps (Pompilidae), which lay their eggs on arachnids. The hatched larvae eat the tarantula from the inside. Juveniles are actively hunted (Gryllotalpa gryllotalpa).

reproduction

The mating season takes place at the end of summer. The male finds the female's burrow and gently taps the signal web with his front paws. Usually she treats him aggressively, so he patiently waits for his chosen one to change her anger to mercy. The male slowly approaches her and tries to stroke her limbs with a slight vibration of his legs.

When the female calms down, the cavalier descends into her hole and mates with her there. At the end of mating, he prudently flees.

The next spring, the female lays between 200 and 700 eggs in a cocoon, which she places at the entrance to her shelter. After the birth of the spiders, she breaks the cocoon, puts them on her upper abdomen and goes on a trip around the neighborhood. Periodically, the spider drops offspring to the ground, contributing to their spread.

After 11 molts, South Russian tarantulas become sexually mature.

At the bottom of the terrarium, a layer of soil with a thickness of at least 30 cm is poured so that the pet has the opportunity to acquire its own shelter. As a substrate, you can use a mixture of earth and clay.

In the terrarium, a drinking bowl with drinking water is installed in a place accessible to the spider. He is fed any insects that do not exceed the size of his body. Feeding is done once every 1-2 days.

Mizgir feels comfortable at room temperature and humidity of 30-60%.

Description

The body length of males is 14-27 cm, and that of females is 25-40 mm, excluding limbs. Weight 2.6-7 g. The main background of the color is sand or dark gray.

There are radial stripes on the back of the prosoma, and an indistinct pattern on the front. The opistoma (abdomen) is decorated with two sequentially located lanceolate spots with uneven lateral edges. They form a pattern of angular spots with bright dots.

The legs are lighter than the body. Prosoma and opisthoma densely covered with fine hairs.

The lifespan of southern tarantulas varies by gender. Males live for about a year and die shortly after mating. Females live up to 2-3 years.

International scientific name

Lycosa singoriensis Laxmann, 1770

Systematics
on Wikispecies

Images
at Wikimedia Commons

ITIS
NCBI
EOL

hunting and burrow

It digs vertical burrows up to 30-40 cm deep, lined with cobwebs; when an insect appears near the hole, it quickly jumps out of the hole and catches it. The spider also catches and kills insects that can accidentally climb into its hole. As a rule, the tarantula's signal to attack is the shadow of an insect running along the entrance to the hole, and the spider is also sensitive to what is happening near the surface, including the movement of running insects, which also serves as a reason for the attack. By tying a plasticine ball or button to a thread, and shaking it in front of the mink, you can lure the tarantula out. At night, the spider becomes more active and leaves the shelter for a short distance and hunts for insects. The prey of a tarantula is any insect that comes into view or comes within throw distance (an example of predation against other, smaller species of spiders is not uncommon). Some specimens can climb into residential buildings, especially in small settlements.

reproduction

Mating takes place at the end of summer. Having found a female, the male begins to vibrate his abdomen and actively move his front paws. These actions allow the female to correctly identify the species of the male. If the female is ready to mate, she begins to repeat his movements. After mating, the tarantula must quickly leave, otherwise the excited female may eat her partner.

Then she forms a cocoon from a web with laid eggs, which she attaches to her body, with this the spider walks until the tarantulas begin to move inside the cocoon. She then gnaws through the cocoon and helps them crawl out. Immediately after birth, the cubs climb onto their mother and settle down there in several layers.

For the winter, the spider deepens the hole and clogs the entrance with earth. It can lead an active lifestyle in winter if it enters a heated room near human habitation. The fertilized female hibernates in her burrow for the winter until spring. In spring, she crawls to the surface and exposes her abdomen to the sun. This contributes to the formation of eggs in the body of the tarantula. When the eggs mature, the female spins a web, where she lays her eggs. The woven cocoon never leaves the attention of the female and, for convenience, is attached to the abdomen by arachnoid glands. With a clear threat to the cocoon, the female violently clings to it with chelicerae and it is no longer possible to select the cocoon. The little spiders that appeared at first stay on the female, gradually they leave her and settle around the area. A female can give birth to up to 50 cubs.

The life expectancy of a spider in its natural environment is 2 years. In captivity, the spider lives a little over a year (in the absence of seasonal "winter" hibernation, which inhibits the development of the spider).

Virulence

The poison of the South Russian tarantula lies in the glands located in the cephalothorax; their ducts open at the top of the claw-like segments of the chelicerae, with which the spiders pierce the cuticle of their prey in order to inject poison and digestive enzymes, and then suck out the internal contents of the victim. Its bite for a person is comparable in pain to a hornet sting and causes only local edema. The poison does not cause death in large animals and humans due to the weak activity and low concentration of protein toxins that paralyze the nervous system. After a bite, a person develops swelling and pain in the bitten place, sometimes the skin becomes yellow and remains so for about two months.

Notes

Sources

Practitioner's Handbook
Tropical Diseases Vol. 4 (1996)

The South Russian tarantula is a representative of araneomorphic spiders, which belongs to the species of wolf spiders. He is quite large, but not aggressive. Some exotic lovers are happy to keep such arachnids in their home as pets.

Description

The South Russian tarantula is the largest spider living in Russia. The size of his body is from 2.5 to 3 cm, while females are always larger than males. The body is densely covered with hairs. The color is usually gray with dotted patches of black, there are also red and brown.

This arachnid has eight eyes arranged in three rows. In the bottom row there are two pairs of small eyes, the middle row is occupied by the largest pair, which is central and looks forward, in the top row there are two lateral small eyes, located just above the middle pair.

On a note! It is believed that he is able to distinguish objects that are at a distance of 30 cm!

Spreading

For the South Russian tarantula, a dry climate is most preferable. For this reason, most often it can be found in the steppe, desert and semi-desert regions, less often in the forest-steppe zone. He appears and digs his holes in the fields, on the banks of various reservoirs, as well as in gardens and orchards. In a word, soft soils are attractive for him, in which he can easily equip his nest.

Previously, the South Russian tarantula was distributed mainly in Central Asia, as well as in the southern regions of Russia and Ukraine. But due to climate change, these spiders began to make their way further north, and where they used to be rare, they are now found in fairly large numbers.

On the territory of Ukraine, the South Russian tarantula is called Crimean and at the same time it is the largest arachnid that is found in these places. Its burrows with the owner inside are increasingly found by local residents in their personal plots.
Recently, these tarantulas have taken root in Belarus. They were first discovered there in 2008. These arachnids began to fairly actively settle in the floodplains of the Sozh, Dnieper and Pripyat rivers.
In Bashkiria, South Russian tarantulas lived for a long time, but in 2016 their real invasion was noted. The reason for this was the abnormally warm weather that lasted throughout the summer that year.

On a note! In Bashkiria in 2016, due to the bites of the South Russian tarantula, several people ended up in the hospital!
In Kazakhstan, several types of tarantulas are common, and one of them is South Russian. Habitats are common: the banks of rivers, lakes and salt marshes, and the most active zones are Aktau, Alma-Ata, Aktobe, Shymkent. Especially large tarantulas are found in Kazakhstan - sometimes their body length reaches 9 cm.
As for the territory of Russia, South Russian tarantulas were seen in large numbers in the Astrakhan, Belgorod, Volgograd, Kursk and Saratov regions, as well as in the Tambov, Lipetsk and Oryol regions.

Features of existence

The steppe tarantula settles in burrows, which he himself digs, and at the same time he always lines the walls with his own cobwebs. The depth of the hole is usually 30-40 m. For hunting, he does not weave trapping nets, but catches prey at the moment when it runs past his nest.

The signal for attack in this case is the shadow of a potential victim. Having recognized the outlines, the spider jumps out of its ambush with lightning speed, grabs its prey with its front paws, immediately plunges its chelicerae into its body and injects poison. When the victim freezes, the tarantula starts the meal.

The diet of the South Russian tarantula includes:

caterpillars;
crickets;
ground beetles;
bears;
cockroaches;
beetles.

On a note! South Russian tarantulas often have cases of cannibalism when they eat other spiders that belong to smaller species!

Despite the fact that these arachnids are very attached to their hole, single specimens can move away from it at fairly decent distances. Cases have been noted when South Russian tarantulas climbed into residential buildings located in small settlements.

reproduction

The mating season falls on the last month of summer, and at this time the males go in search of females. Having met a female, the male must show her his intentions, otherwise he risks being eaten.

The "boyfriend" raises the front of the body, exposes the first pair of legs and vibrates the abdomen. In this position, he slowly approaches the female. Ready for mating, she begins to repeat the movements of the male. Immediately after fertilization, the male quickly retires and prepares for winter: he makes his hole deeper and clogs the entrance with soil.

The fertilized female also goes to her burrow for the winter. With the advent of spring, she appears on the surface and exposes her abdomen to the sun's rays.

On a note! Heat promotes the rapid development of eggs in the abdomen. By the way, it is this ritual that often leads to dehydration of the female body and she can lose about 30% of her weight!

When the maturation of eggs in the abdomen ends, the female spins a silk cocoon from the web. She lays eggs in it and wears it for some time on her abdomen. At the same time, the cocoon with future offspring is always in her field of vision, and the female actively protects it in any situation. If she feels danger, then she will immediately violently cling to the cocoon with chelicerae and it will no longer be possible to select it.

As soon as the female feels that the spiderlings are starting to come out of the eggs, she breaks the cocoon and helps the babies get out. Young individuals climb onto the body of the mother, and for some time she wears them on herself.

Gradually, the stronger offspring leave the mother's body, settling around the area.

In its natural habitat, the South Russian tarantula lives for about two years, in captivity a little longer, which is due to the absence of winter suspended animation, which to a certain extent slows down its development.

The consequences of a bite

For a person, the South Russian tarantula does not pose a particular danger. Of course, he can bite, but he will never be the first to attack. Representatives of this species are not aggressive and attack only in self-defense. Therefore, disturbing the tarantula or picking it up without special need is highly discouraged.

When bitten, a person may feel burning and pain. Usually, edema forms in this place, sometimes the skin turns yellow and recovers only after a couple of months. Due to the low concentration, the poison of this arachnid death in humans does not cause.

However, if you are allergic to spider or insect bites, an allergic reaction may develop, the manifestations of which will be:

strong pain;
rash around the affected area;
general malaise;
dizziness;
drowsiness.

Important! If a South Russian tarantula has bitten a child, then you should seek medical help immediately!

home content

If you decide to keep the South Russian tarantula at home, then in this case, remember that it is quite fast and does not tolerate mistakes in handling. When trying to defend himself, he can jump to a height of about 15 cm and will certainly bite.

As for, the South Russian tarantula is unpretentious. He needs:

a vertical terrarium from which the spider will not be able to get out on its own;
a fairly thick layer of substrate - at least 30 cm, so that your pet can dig its holes in it;
a drinking bowl in which every day there will be clean and fresh water, while the spider must have free access to it;
food - for the South Russian tarantula I usually get fodder insects, the body size of which should correspond to the size of the body of the spider itself.

Important! It is highly not recommended to feed the South Russian tarantula with insects from the street!

Lycosa signoliensis (Laxmann, 1770)

Distributed in the desert, steppe and forest-steppe zones. It reaches the latitude of Yelets and Kazan, and penetrates even further north along the sands of river valleys. This is a large spider, 25-35 mm long, densely covered with hairs. The coloration is variable, from brown to almost black, sometimes reddish, the bottom is lighter. He lives in a deep vertical burrow lined with cobwebs, preferring moist soil with a high standing groundwater. At night, the spider comes out of the mink and hunts for insects at the entrance, during the day it watches for them in the mink. Mating takes place at the end of summer. Juveniles and copulating females hibernate. For the winter, the spider deepens the mink and clogs the entrance with earth. At the beginning of summer, the female lays her eggs in her burrow. A white facial cocoon in the form of a round pad is attached to the arachnoid warts; the female, moving, supports it with her hind legs. The emerging juveniles rest on the female, which goes in search of water. Having drunk the spiderlings, the female roams through open moist places and sheds them with her hind legs. Young spiders settled in this way first hide in natural shelters, and then dig minks, gradually deepening and improving them. The degree of toxicity of the tarantula was discussed above.

A tarantula has 8 eyes. Anterior medial eyes (main) - dark; the rest (side eyes) are shiny, thanks to the inner shell reflecting light. It is believed that Tarantulas have a wide field of vision and see a moving small insect at a distance of 20 - 30 cm, but do not distinguish its shape.

Distributed in Central Asia and southern Russia including Ukraine. It lives in the desert, steppe and forest-steppe zones. Spider size: 25 - 35 mm. The body is densely covered with hairs. The color is brown-red, sometimes almost black. Sides - whitish, fluffy; bottom - dark almost black. Digs vertical burrows lined with cobwebs. In the daytime, the hunt looks like this: The tarantula guards the entrance to the mink, when an insect appears near the hole, it jumps out of the hole and catches it. As a rule, the shadow of an insect running along the entrance to the hole serves as a signal for an attack. By tying a plasticine ball to a thread, and shaking it in front of the mink, you can lure the tarantula out. At night, the spider comes out of the mink and hunts for insects. Mating takes place at the end of summer. Juveniles and copulating females hibernate. For the winter, the spider deepens the mink and clogs the entrance with earth. It can lead an active lifestyle in winter if it enters a heated room near human habitation. At the beginning of summer, the female spins a cocoon and lays eggs in it. He wears a cocoon. The little spiders that have appeared rest on the female. Then, they gradually leave the spider and settle in the district.

The tarantula is poisonous. It rarely bites a person. The bite causes local swelling and severe pain. The bite site must be immediately burned with a match. Spider bites are shallow, the venom is injected into the skin. When cauterized, thermal decomposition of the poison occurs. This method is widespread in Central Asia and is used for the bites of all poisonous spiders.

It feeds on a variety of insects, beetles, orthoptera, etc. Prey is killed by poison. The tarantula pierces its prey with chelicerae, pouring digestive juice into it, which dissolves internal tissues. The escaping liquid is sucked up. The secretion of juice and the absorption of food droplets alternate, the spider turns the victim and processes it from different sides.