Most people are terrified when mentioning the word spiders and nobody really thinks of them as quite interesting pets. I started keeping spiders back in 1997. All spiders that I have collected belong to the Theraphosidae family and they are known as bird spiders among the collectors.This family of spiders is thought to be notorious and known under the term TARANTULAS. They were named by Americans but the name is wrong if we look at it from the scientific point of view considering the system of classifying spiders. I started to collect bird spiders by chance. There have been over 200 ferent sorts of spiders from all over the world in my collection up to now : from North America (Arizona, Texas), Central America and the Caribbean (Belize, Dominican Republic, Guadalupe, Haiti, Honduras, Costa Rica, Cuba, Martinique, Mexico, Panama, Puerto Rico, St. Lucia, St. Thomas, St. Vincent), South America (Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Ecuador, Guiana, Chile, Columbia, Paraguay, Peru, Surinam, Trinidad, Tobago, Uruguay, Venezuela), Africa (Benin, Burundi, Ghana, SAR, Cameroon, Kenya, Liberia, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Ivory Coast -Coto d Ivoire, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Zaire, Zambia, Zimbabwe),Asia (India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Thailand), Australia, New Zealand. A representative of Ischnocolus genus, belonging to Theraphosidae family can be found in Europe with 20 different species. We can find this spider in Italy, Portugal and Spain.

In my collection I keep spiders of the most beautiful species of various colour and size. Among them there is 0,75 inches Cyriocosmus elegans and also world’s largest South American spider, Theraphosa apophysis, Theraphosa blondi (Goliath bird eater) which can grow up to 4, 5 inches of body length and 12 inches in leg span. There are also some recently discovered species in my collection: Brachypelma albiceps 1997, Brachypelma annitha 1997, Nhandu coloratovillosum 1998, Avicularia geroldi 1999, Avicularia braunshauseni 1999, Bonnetina cyaneifemur 2000, Chilobrachys jingzhao 2001, Grammostola aureostriata 2001, Poecilotheria pederseni 2001, Metriopelma ledezmae 2001, Vitalius paranaensis 2001, Reversopelma petersi 2001, Nhandu vulpinus 1998, Brachypelma schroederi 2003, Brachypelma verdezi 2003, Ephebopus cyanognathus  2000, Ephebopus rufescens 2000, Nhandu chromatus 2004, Haplopelma vonwirthi2005.

In my home I have also one of the most dangerous spiders on the world - Phoneutria nigriventer, which is extremely aggressive and her bite can occur death in just 30 minutes.I have kept and successfully bred for a long period one of the most venomous spiders – Latrodectus tredecimguttatus also known as the Black widow. The bite of this spider is very dangerous because its venom affects the function of erythrocytes in blood and damages the nervous system. I have successfully bred some of the spiders belonging to the Theraphosidae family – e.g. the Columbian Megaphobema robusta, which is rarely bred among the keepers and breeders. This species is very nervous and requires optimum care in captivity. The biggest problem before we breed any kind of spiders is what to do with so many baby spiders due to their number (in case of Megaphobema there are 50 little spiders, in case of Lasiodora parahybana – 2.000 baby spiders!!!). I have also invested a lot of hard work and financial effort in my collection with a distinctive and uncommon touch of aesthetics in my spider room. I have gained a great amount of knowledge in keeping bird spiders from my own experience. All terrariums are decorated with natural soil, wood and live plants – Crypthanus, Bromelie, Philodendron, Scinapsus, Hedere). Temperature (71°F - 80°F) and humidity (60% - 90%) are most important for spiders. However, a problem occurs with a large number of terrariums – a high humidity concentration in the spider room. Well, I control it with a moist machine. All terrariums have timer lights (on at 08:00 AM – off at 08:00 PM) and thermostats for temperature regulation. In summer the terrariums might overheat so the thermostats automatically turn off the light. Spiders are fed only with home bred food: cockroaches, mealworms, crickets. In nature spiders eat mostly pray smaller then their body but they are also able to attack snakes, lizards; some of the arboreal species can even rob birds’ nests and catch a bird like humming bird.

People often ask me about the venomousness of bird spiders. Well, it is a very difficult question to answer but the fact is that all spiders have venom glands and you must be very careful to avoid the bites (e.g. with Asian species Such as Cyriopagopus, Haplopelma, Chilobrachys, Chilocosmia, Lampropelma, Ornithoctonus, Phlogiellus, Phormingochilus, Poecilotheria, Selenocosmia, Selenopelma, and African species like Ceratogyrus, Citharischius Coelogenium, Eucratoscelus, Eumenophorus, Harpactira, Heteroscodra, Hysterocrates, Phoneyusa, Pterinochilus, Stromatopelma). A bite of any of this species is not lethal but it is extremely unpleasant and painful. The venom is very stabile and retains in blood for a long period (4-8 weeks). It has a very particular structure so it quickly penetrates the tissue and destroys vital organs like heart and liver. It has to be mentioned that bird spiders are able to move very quick and are extremely aggressive! Another characteristic self defence mechanism of bird spiders is flicking off the hairs from their abdomens using their rear legs. Spiders from genus Ephebopus throw hairs from helicere fangs with the help of pedipalps. They irritate skin, respiratory system and eyes. For warm-blooded animals the venom is effective       and dangerous for animals up to 0, 5 kg of body weight.

 Although most of the spiders from the Theraphosidae family are not venomous there is a risk of anaphylactic shock. It meansthat if you are bitten by a bird spider the reactions of affected immune system are unpredictable. This reaction is called anaphylaxis which is fatal acute system reaction of organism’s hypersensitivity to spider or other insects bite. Anaphylaxis has 4 stages: urticary, angioedema, suffocation and anaphylactic shock as the last and the worst stage. In this form of anaphylactic shock clinical features are hypotension, cramps, shock, unconsciousness and fatal blood flow arrest.

SPIDERS OF THE OLD WORLD

Spiders belong to phylum of Arthropods along with insects (Insecta), crabs (Crustacea) and millipedes (Chilopoda). Arthropods date back to Devon era – 390 million years ago. Their genesis started 350 million years ago in Carbon age and is still going on. If the human specie was to become extinct – Arthropods would still be here! These animals are so different in shape, size and habitat - they are found in burrows, water, rainforests and deserts - almost anywhere with barely possible living conditions. Nowadays, Anthropods represent 85% of the whole animal life.   

 Araneae order exists of two suborders: Mygalomorphae or ortognaths. They have vertical fangs which are similar to snake fangs. They are called old spiders because they haven’t changed at all since the beginning of their genesis (300 million years ago). Some scientists call them living fossils. Another order is Araneomorphae or labidognatha. These are contemporary spiders which changed a bit since their genesis and are found in our nature.

Spiders belonging to Theraphosidea family are representatives of the world’s oldest and biggest spiders. This family exists of 900 counted and explored species although there are still new species discovered every day. Scientists are amazed by wonderful new patterns and colorations. The first bird spider was listed in 1758 and it was sistematiclly classified by the Swedish natural scientist Carl Linnea who is also the beginner of modern biological systematic theory (1707 – 1788). He named his first spider Aranea avicularia (which is today named Avicularia avicularia)   when he saw a colourful graphic on a big spider which was on a dead bird (Latin avis means bird). Author of the drawing was Sybille Merian, a researcher of insects and flowers, who travelled around Surinam in 1699 and saw a spider holding it’s pray and used it as her inspiration.

First bird spiders came to Europe by coincidence in the 1950s hidden in packages of bananas and other tropical fruit from Central and South America. They didn’t use any chemicals for disinfection and extermination of insects back then. The spiders mostly survived the journey and found themselves on the shopping shelves. This led to horrifying stories. A huge tropical spider had to be killed instantly because science was not so important then. A serious encounter with a spider was very rare and ended without consequences because the bite of this spider is not lethal. This is why the bird spiders do not deserve these horrifying stories spread around by ignorant people. From time to time a very dangerous spider, Phoneutria nigriventer (Ctenidae), still comes to Europe in the banana packages. But this very spider belongs to a completely different systematic branch from the Migalomorphi. This spider lives in banana plantations of Central and South America. It is very aggressive and it is one of the most venomous spiders in the world. Its victims are mostly people picking bananas and these kinds of incidents are quite frequent. The spider can if feeling endangered bite its victim even being one metre away. The effects are shown within a few minutes. Victim loses one’s stability and signs of sensory disorder are visible. The victim moves like in trance. A 2”- spider’s venom is highly effective neurological venom which causes sweating, muscle cramps, the bite spot is very painful, body temperature rises very rapidly and the final stage is coma. After a few hours without medical attention leads to respiratory arrest and causes death.  The old world has kept a great number of spiders till now and there are new species of bird spiders discovered by scientists every day.   

THE LIFE OF BIRD SPIDERS IN NATURE

The majority of the different species of bird spiders live in rainforests of South America. They are hidden in their burrows waiting for their pray. They make their own burrows down to 3, 5 ft of depth or they use abandoned homes of diverse small mammals. They mark their territory around the burrow entrance with a thick silk carpet which is used as a motion sensor. It warns the spider if there is a pray or a predator nearby. In this way bird spiders control 6 square ft around their burrow entrance. Arboreal species live a bit different from terrestrial species. Some of them make their homes only from silk which can be combined with leaves etc. In their totally camouflaged homes they wait to catch their pray. Most of the tree tops above 100 ft – 130 ft are not fully researched so there are only a few species of bird spiders living there known by scientists. New species are constantly being discovered. Bromelias, pineapple plants, form large bushes on the trees which are ideal habitats for number of arboreal species (Avicularia minatrix). Arboreal bird spiders are able to jump, although the distances are not very long. Missed jumps frequently end on the ground or in water but this is not a problem because most of the bird spiders are good swimmers. They know how to adapt to their environment. Spiders are more active at night and most of them move in the darkness. Only matured males are active during the whole day because they seek for as much females as possible to mate. Males have got a 1/3 shorter lifespan than females (female lifespan is 12-18 years).

A hungry spider feels every vibration on the ground and in the air waves so it can easily and effectively determine the size and distance of its pray. A frequent pray is a cockroach or a smaller lizard. Spiders are living radars because they totally control their areas. Spiders attack their pray very aggressively, they grab it with their powerful jaws and inject their venom. Pray is wrapped in a silk which keeps the dried pray intact. Scientific research shows that reptiles are more affected by venom than mammals. From my own experience I can say that African bird spider Pterinochilusa murinusa kills a fully grown mouse in 4 minutes. Enzymes are injected in caught pray causing it to turn into nutrient fluid sucked by the spider. Sometimes the pray of bird spiders are also venomous South American snakes Bothrops atrox which kill many people every year. After that kind of meal spider can fast itself for a long period (even months). All of pray remains are removed from spider’s habitat to prevent mites, bacteria and invasion of the ants.

All of bird spiders take a lot of care for their bodies. Legs and leg hooks are frequently cleaned using their jaws because of possibility of dangerous infections characteristical for the warm and moist areas of rainforests which are also homes of native tribes. The tribe of “Piroe” from Venezuela worships bird spiders and also eats them. During the strong storms spiders are forced out of their habitats to obtain water reserves but a part of water can be obtained from their pray. Spiders need water to substitute the fluids and produce venom. Spiders often drink water before moulting process. During this process they stay in moist and safe places such as their burrows. A process of moulting itself lasts for about an hour. Spider turns on the back, removing his carapace made of carbohydrates and proteins. Outer coating is waterproof. Moulting is the only way for spider to grow and to regenerate its missing limbs. They have the capability of regeneration. Fully matured female spiders moult once a year. Male spiders do not moult anymore after they mature. After a male spider gets out of its old exoskeleton it starts to stretch its legs and turns back on its feet which are still very weak. After the moulting spiders are highly vulnerable because of their soft exoskeleton which needs some time to harden. The moulting process demands a lot of spider’s energy so if the spider has not fed well before, it could easily die during the moulting. After the successful moulting the spider starts to hunt and eat after one week.

Matured males seek for the rest of their lives for a female to mate. They are not interested in food anymore. By catching the pray they only supply themselves with water and lost calories. If they fed too much their big and full abdomen would be an obstacle for wandering around because they walk long distances in search for a female. When they find a female the mating game starts which can be fatal for the male if the female eats it. It’s not rare even for a female to die from wounds caused by a defending male. If the female isn’t hungry and it accepts the male the mating can be over in a couple of minutes. After two months’ time, it all depends on the species, the female lays eggs. At the same time the female gives way to the male’s sperm (up to then it was kept in a special organ inside of her) and the eggs are fertilized. The organ where the sperm is kept can be found in the female’s abdomen. This is why after the first cocoon the female is able to make another one. The females can wait up to a few months for the best time to make a cocoon. The number of eggs varies, form a dozen or two up to a thousand and more. Laid eggs are covered with silk by the female; some species - Megaphobema mesomelas – even put their poisonous hairs from the abdomen into the cocoons. The cocoon, having the shape of a ball, is guarded by the female. After six weeks the embryos in the eggs start to develop and soon after that little spiders come to the world. They still feed on their own yolk. Their appearance and colour change after they go through their first moulting. Only then they are able to come out of the cocoon into the open. They are independent and can take care of themselves. Some species need up to seven years or even more to mature. A lot of little spiders end up in the predators’ stomachs in the first few weeks. It’s the law of nature. Spiders are often victims of other spiders too. Also adult bird spiders are often the pray. Tropical centipedes live in the same areas as bird spiders. They can grow up to 25 cm in length. Despite of the length they can move easily and look for food.  They are one of the oldest living beings. These primordial beings have existed for 400 millions of years and some, it depends on the species, are also very poisonous. Bird spiders can quickly become their pray. Another enemy of the bird spiders is a wasp from the Pepsis family, the size of an adult male hand. It immobilizes the spider and then hosts its eggs inside the spiders. Then the wasp buries the spiders into the soil while the eggs slowly grow and eat the spider.

In the vast dry areas, deserts and steppes a large number of bird spiders can be found but still not as many as in the tropical rainforests. This is due to the difficult conditions in the deserts. Their biggest problem represents the heat in combination with hot sun. This is why they remain hidden during the day and hunt at night.

Another enemy can be found in the savannas of Central and South America: a koati - it’s a bear belonging to the family of racoons. It lives in tropical rainforests as well as in the steppes; it can eat a whole spider.    

What is important is the survival of the whole species not the destiny of an individual animal - these are the laws which have ruled the world of spiders since the beginning of time.

Damjan & Jessica
photos: Discovery