We Are Deep In the Heart of Texas

Nomadic seasons of farming adventures with nature thrown in to include; a pinch of family, snippets of friends, counting our blessings, paying IT forward, home school, and the spicy things I decide to rant about.















Thursday, June 17, 2010

Aphonopelma hentzi



I was about to take the neighbor girl back to her house for the evening when I saw this moving across our yard atop the grass.  I dashed back inside the house, went up the stairs to retrieve the camera while; Faith kept watch.

I brought the boys, Lisa and Sarah back outside with me.  I took a few shots with my camera as Lisa was looking for a bucket.  We found out from our encounter these creatures can move like greased lightening.

We managed to get this beauty inside a bucket. And found out, spiders can climb smooth surfaces. 

___I was really shocked! _____ 

Which was kinda freaky but, okay I kept tapping the bucket to keep it inside; hoping Lisa would find a lid. 

Guess what,  grand daughter Sarah kicked the bucket over (I COULD HAVE KILLED HER....LOL it was the first one on the farm.) and it ran under my farm truck: up into the engine -- curses!  Much to my chagrin because; I would have kept it a few weeks for observation and teaching moments with the boys.  (NOPE, I am not afraid of spiders either.)

My best guestimation is this was a male on his way to hunt for female since it is the begining of summer.  He was rather large about 3-4 inches across.  Either way, he was our first one and I hope to find more now that I have look up what their burrows look like.  Note to self, get some boots and thick gloves for:


Tarantula Roundup,  I just know there are some Mexican Red Knees around here.

Did you know males tarantulas can live several years but, the females can survive for a couple decades?

10 comments:

Sharon said...

THAT was a tarantula? It looks close to the one I beat up with a broom in the kitchen at the other house. It just suddenly appeared on my windowsill next to me. It was 2" long in the body and a leg span about 4". scared the bejesus out of me! You wanted to study that thing? EWWWWW! I get the willies just thinking about it! I suppose very educational, my son, however was coaching me to "KILL THAT THING" I don't think he was too interested. OMG, if there is one, there have to be more! Maybe you will get lucky, eh?

Sharon said...

and I never went under my house again!

Melodie said...

Wow ! I had no idea that the females could live to be 20!!!

Jen said...

Of course they can climb smooth edges, spiderman does it all the time. haha.
I used to collect tarantulas with my brother and friend when we were kids. We kept them in hampster cages for a few days. We once had 4 at one time. Very cool. Good luck on your search!

Nekkid Chicken said...

HEE HEE It was a cool discovery ladies. I love nature in all its packages.

Nekkid Chicken said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
John Going Gently said...

bloody hell.....
I could NOT live anywhere with bugs that big!!
I would never go out!!!!

mixednut555 said...

You did warn me, and I wish I had not looked. Spiders are the only thing I am afraid of, and now I'm gonna have nightmres! BTW, great photography on your part.
I'll send ya some cane spiders from Hawaii, those suckers are bigger than a man's hand and move really fast, kind of leaping. They are the only thing I don't like here in Hawaii, not afraid of centipedes or scorpions which we have (no snakes in Hawaii, but I'm not afraid of them either).
Shaking in my slippahs over here after seeing your pictures. Slippahs=flip-flops

Cesar Crash said...

Oh hi Mal, I´m back! You don´t know how much I love this little animals. This days, I moved to enother house. Around of it is full of grasshoppers, praying mantis, walking sticks, spiders and bugs like this. And I´m luvin´it

~K.B said...

Omy Gosh! You are kidding right!
That is just Amazing!

RUN CHICKENS RUN!!!