Discover Nature this week with Missouri’s creepy critters. It’s that spooky time of year — when plastic bats and spiders abound. But the real critters are not as scary as people think – plus, they bring benefits.
There’s one type of tarantula in Missouri (it’s our largest spider), and they prefer dry rocky glades. There are more than 50 species of tarantulas in North America, but the Missouri tarantula is apparently the only one native to Missouri.
Tarantulas are nocturnal and use the venom in their fangs to subdue and digest prey like crickets. Tarantulas are shy and avoid people. Their bites are not normally serious, with a pain like a honeybee sting. The spider’s large size and shaggy look scares many people, making them think it has a ferocious nature. But it is quite shy and quick to evade humans. Many people keep tarantulas as pets and feed them crickets, cockroaches, and the like…