Tantric Tarantulas

[SorellaLaBefana]

A study that looked at how tarantulas interact with other animals has revealed that they are actually pretty chill with a wide range of species. The eight-legged critters that get some of us humans in such a twist were found living alongside amphibians, reptiles, whip spiders, and harvestmen across the globe. In some cases, the association may even be beneficial for both parties…

Spiders’ relationships with parasites and predators have been well-studied as a kind of antagonistic symbiosis, but there has been less research into whether spiders sometimes benefit from hanging out with other species. The new study decided to dive into the topic by reviewing published cases of tarantulas spotted with other animals, as well as exploring their possible defense strategies against problematic critters like ants.

You may have seen the odd viral post about how spiders like to keep “pets” based on observations of spiders and amphibians appearing to share a burrow. It's been suggested it could be a kind of mutualism, where the frog or toad benefits from shelter and protection while it eats the problematic insects, ants, and parasites the tarantulas' prey attracts, and which can be harmful to the spider and its offspring…

https://www.iflscience.com/turns-out-tarantulas-hang-out-with-lots-of-animals-75467

This study weaves together and reinforces our understanding of how interconnected life is at so many often unrecognized an unexpected levels.

Years ago, early one Texas morning, we were heading down to Big Bend from where we had stayed the night in Marathon. We were fortunate to be at the right time of year to see hundreds of tarantulas purposefully out and about swarming around looking for love. The ground was alive with these amazing animals—we took great pains to avoid running over them.

[Wonder Why]

1. The only problem tarantulas are the giant ones - you know, the onces created by atomic testing in '50s movies!