Tarantulas

Tarantulas are big, hairy-legged spiders. They look scary, but their bite is pretty harmless. In fact, usually they don't bite. People should beware of their hairy legs, though. Those leg hairs are barbed and can irritate people and animals.

Researching spiders on the World Wide Web is not easy. While trying to identify a giant spider found in North Georgia, we discovered that there are no fewer than 30 species of tarantulas in the Southeastern United States alone. It would be impossible to say which one we found. The closest match, judging by the few photos found on line was the California Tarantula. It was very similar in appearance to the one we found, and its range does extend into the Southeast. As apprehensive as it makes one feel to think that there are 30 varieties of giant spider creeping around in one's region, it should not inspire hysteria. Spiders eat insects that can be garden pests. Read about my personal encounters with various spiders:

The Spider That Ate The Frog

The Brown Recluse