---
title: "13 Interesting Facts About Tarantulas"
url: https://www.kickassfacts.com/tarantula-facts/
date: 2019-03-26
modified: 2019-03-26
lang: en
author: "jazz"
description: "Here are 13 Interesting Facts About Tarantula. 1-5 Interesting Facts About Tarantula 1. Tarantulas lack leg extending muscles and rely on the blood pressure spike from a heartbeat to reinflate..."
categories:
  - "Animals & Plants"
  - "Fact List"
image: https://www.kickassfacts.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/tarantula-article.jpg
word_count: 388
---

# 13 Interesting Facts About Tarantulas

Here are 13 Interesting Facts About Tarantula.

## 1-5 Interesting Facts About Tarantula

![](https://www.kickassfacts.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Tarantulas.jpg)

1. Tarantulas lack leg extending muscles and rely on the blood pressure spike from a heartbeat to reinflate the leg back to its extended position. This is why they curl up when they die. - [Source](https://animagraffs.com/tarantula/)

2. The gigantic, hairy "Goliath birdeater" tarantula spider is entirely harmless and passive toward humans and their bite would hardly compare to the sting of a wasp. - [Source](https://www.mnn.com/earth-matters/animals/photos/10-scary-animals-that-are-totally-harmless/goliath-birdeater)

3. A NASA scientist conducted a tongue-in-cheek experiment to see what animals drivers are more likely to hit, he placed rubber fakes on the side of the road and found that 6% of drivers intentionally swerve to hit them, tarantulas being hit the most. - [Source](https://www.livescience.com/21836-roadkill-rage-experiment-strange-snapshots.html)

4. Giant tarantulas keep tiny frogs as symbiosis. Insects will eat the burrowing tarantulas' eggs so the spiders protect the frogs from predators, and in return, the frogs eat the insects. - [Source](https://scienceblogs.com/tetrapodzoology/2009/07/03/tiny-frogs-and-giant-spiders)

5. Tarantula spiders reach full adulthood at around 10 years and female tarantula spiders have been known to live up to 30 or even 40 years. - [Source](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tarantula#Life_cycle)

## 6-10 Interesting Facts About Tarantula

![](https://www.kickassfacts.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Tarantula-show.jpg)

6. There is an Annual Tarantula Exhibition, where participants are judged much like dogs in a dog show. Participants are judged on shiny coats, correct proportions, an active demeanor, and proper stance. In 2014, the event was attended by more than 30,000 tarantulas and their keepers. - [Source](https://www.mnn.com/family/pets/stories/this-best-in-show-winner-has-8-hairy-legs)

7. A species of tarantula was named after Johnny Cash because it was found near Folsom Prison in California. - [Source](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aphonopelma_johnnycashi)

8. Tarantulas fling their needlelike hair at predators as a defensive mechanism. These hair can not only get inside the skin but are also known for entering eye sockets and digestive systems where they can cause major problems. - [Source](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Urticating_hair#In_tarantulas)

9. There is a species of tarantula in [Australia](https://www.kickassfacts.com/25-kickass-and-interesting-facts-about-australia-part-1-of-2/) known to make a whistling or barking noise. - [Source](https://australianmuseum.net.au/learn/animals/spiders/australian-tarantulas/)

10. Seven new kinds of tarantula were discovered at over 4500m above sea level in South America. - [Source](https://www.researchgate.net/publication/327178806_The_Neotropical_genus_Hapalotremus_Simon_1903_Araneae_Theraphosidae_with_the_description_of_seven_new_species_and_the_highest_altitude_record_for_the_family)

## 11-13 Interesting Facts About Tarantula

![](https://www.kickassfacts.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Poecilotheria_metallica.jpg)Image credit: en.m.wikipedia.org

11. Poecilotheria Metallica is an endangered species of tarantula. - [Source](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poecilotheria_metallica)

12. There is a fungus that transforms tarantulas into fungus. - [Source](https://io9.gizmodo.com/fungal-infection-causes-tarantula-to-grow-antlers-5918948)

13. Cooked tarantula spiders are considered a delicacy in Cambodia. - [Source](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spider#Benefits_to_humans)