- 800 species have been identified.

- Mainly eat insects and other arthropods, caught by speed or ambush. The biggest tarantulas can kill animals as large as lizards, mice, or birds.

- Most tarantulas are harmless to humans, and some species are kept as pets or eaten as food.

- Found in tropical and desert regions around the world.

- The name tarantula comes from the town of Taranto in Italy and was originally used for an unrelated species of European spider.

- A tarantula’s body consists of two main parts the Cephalothorax (thorax) or Prosoma and the Abdomen or Opisthosoma.

- The thorax links the legs to the body as well as the Chelicerae (which are the host appendages to the fangs) and the Pedipalpi.

- Most tarantulas aren’t able to see much more than light, darkness, and motion.

- When walking a tarantula’s first and third leg on one side move at the same time as the second and fourth legs on the other side of his body. The muscles in a tarantulas legs cause the legs to bend at the joints but to extend its legs a tarantula uses the pressure of blood pushed into the leg being extended.

- In all types of tarantulas there are two book lungs (breathing organs). The book lungs are located in a cavity inside the lower front part of the abdomen near where the abdomen connects to the cephalothorax. Air enters the cavity through a tiny slit on each side of and near the front of the abdomen. Each lung consists of 15 or more thin sheets of folded tissue arranged like the pages of a book. These sheets of tissue have many blood vessels. And as air enters the lung oxygen is taken into the blood stream through the blood vessels in the lungs.

- Many of the new world species aside from their normal hairs are covered in urticating hairs (barbed hairs often kicked at or pushed into predators to discourage their approach). These urticating hairs cause itchiness, burning, swelling, redness, and other irritation. Urticating hairs are usually the main ingredient of itching powder and can kill those who are allergic to them if inhaled.

- Tarantulas have to shed their exoskeleton periodically in order to grow, a process called molting. Young tarantulas may do this several times a year, while full grown specimens will only molt once every year or so, or sooner in order to replace lost limbs or lost urticating hairs.

- Tarantulas may live for many years--most species taking 2 to 5 years to reach adulthood, but some species may take up to 10 years to reach full maturity. Upon reaching adulthood, males typically have but a 1 to 1.5 year period left to live and will immediately go in search of a female with which to mate. It is rare that upon reaching adulthood the male tarantula will molt again.