Tarantula
Photo taken of spider crossing Rasor Road 2010

 

Tarantula Contrary to popular belief, tarantulas are not deadly to humans and are actually quite calm, biting only when provoked. Tarantulas do possess barbed hairs which they may rub off their bodies with their legs. The hairs cause irritation to the skin and eyes and are used as a defense mechanism. The most likely time to see a tarantula in Mojave is in the fall, when mature males are in search of a mate.

All spiders make silk, but not all spiders spin webs to capture prey. Non-web building spiders may stalk prey or even ambush prey from a hiding place. Spiders use silk in many ways besides capturing and holding prey, including as signal lines, building nurseries, enclosing egg cases, and for ballooning, a technique used by baby spiders to disperse long distances. Spider silk is the strongest natural substance in the world. Spiders are carnivorous but are incapable of eating solid food and use venom and digestive juices to liquefy their prey, which they then suck up. Although all spider species possess fangs and venom, most are not dangerous to humans because the venom is too weak to affect us or the fangs are too tiny to break our skin. There are only two spiders in the United States which can be deadly to humans. The black widow is black with a round shiny abdomen bearing a bright red hourglass on the underside. The brown recluse is brown with a lighter violin pattern on the back. Both are small (1/2 inch or less) but immediately recognizable. Because of their secretive nature, very few people are bitten by these spiders.