TARANTULA

About Tarantula

Did you know? Rainforest Expeditions guests can often spot one of these giant spiders on a Jungle Night Walk!

While many think of the Tarantula as a single species, it’s actually an entire family of spiders with around 900 different species! Tarantulas span the world. Different types of spiders live in Africa, Europe, Asia, and even Australia. Many of the best-known types, though, live right here in the Amazon Rainforest, including our Tambopata home.

“New World” Tarantulas live in tropical regions throughout North and South America. In the Tambopata jungle of Southeast Peru — home to our Rainforest Expeditions lodges — the best-known type is the Chicken Spider. This common name often refers to members of the Pamphobeteus genus, although it may refer to the Grammostola elsewhere. Most New World Spiders are hairy and large, and some hunt their prey on the ground, while others do so in trees. Preferring to eat insects, arthropods, and other spiders, Tarantulas ambush their prey and kill it with their large fangs. All types of the spider make silk, which they use to build or line their home.

Tarantula Fun Facts

• A Delicious Delicacy: In some parts of the world, including areas in South America and Asia, humans hunt and eat Tarantulas! In Venezuela, for example, locals lure the famous Goliath Bird-Eater Tarantula out of its hole and trap it. After roasting it over a fire and adding seasonings, the spider supposedly has a shrimp-like taste. Would you try one?


• Named after an Italian Town: Europeans named a large type of Wolf Spider the “tarantula” because it lived near the Italian town of Taranto. But when European explorers discovered large ground-spiders in the Americas, they started calling them Tarantulas, and today the term applies broadly. Ironically, the original Italian spider is not, in fact, a Tarantula today.


• Use Hairs for Defense: While Tarantulas are known for their venom, this has never proven fatal to humans. The hairy bristles on New World Tarantulas are more likely to cause damage than their venom. Many of the spiders flick their bristles when they feel threatened, irritating or hurting intruders.

How to plan your Amazon travel to see the Tarantula and other jungle wildlife

• Go on a Night Walk with a Trained Guide: Tarantulas are usually nocturnal, hiding in their holes or nests during the day. Because of their shy behavior, the night is the best time to see them! A trained guide should know where they’re living, and how to safely lure them out with vibrations.


• Travel to the Amazon Rainforest: Visit the Rainforest Expedition lodges in the Peruvian Amazon. One of our experienced guides will help you find them on a Jungle Night Walk!