OMG...tarantula's the size of large York peppermint patties!

[timetraveler]

What's the deal with these pre-historic sized spiders??
Every evening they are scurrying across the road as we head back to our villa at Branson Lakes at Emerald Pointe!!!

At first hubby and I thought the first one we saw in the headlights was a field mouse from a distance. Then it froze in the lights as we got close......AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!! It was a huge hairy spider. And then here came another one and another one, and another one. I was awake half the night thinking one would find a way into our 3br villa. They were all over the roads.

I thought tarantulas were indigenous to desert climate? Not Hollister, Mo.

 

[rickandcindy23]

Vickie, we have them in the foothills of the mountains near Denver and ours are a form of a tarantula, called a "trapdoor spider." They are huge and hairy and frightening. But they are harmless as well. They like open areas and love our large backyard. It's fun to put the hose in the groundholes and turn on the water and have them scurry out. Then we fill the holes with dirt again. Kind of a pastime of mine. The black widows we have all over the place, including our window wells and our finished basement, are another thing altogether. I am afraid of those little gals.

 

[Jestjoan]

DH found a black widow spider when he opened up the cover on the grill a long time ago. We've never seen another one, thank goodness.

When DD1 went to Girl Sout camp in Ohio there was a huge hairy wolf spider right above her bed on the tent wall. The counselors weren't at all concerned but we sure were but had to pretend we weren't for the sake of DD.

 

[timetraveler]

Even though I would not consider myself a member of the aracnaphobic group, these things have me needing a good aerosol dose of Prozac!

They are everywhere. And it's way to close to halloween, and my brain is in overactive mode. There's a horror movie in here somewhere.

Do these things only show up in Branson during cooler evenings of the fall? If so....I'm going to have to change the time of year we visit. A lifelong MO. local told us they like coming onto the pavement during the evening for the warmth that radiates off of it. Also....I have asked around, and no one seems to be seeing them that are staying at resorts/hotels in town on the strip. But they seem to be flourishing in the more secluded areas around the lake. YUK!

 

[wrxdoug]

I was told that Oct. was their migration time at least in Arizonia and that is when you see so many on the roads. Doug

 

[riverdees05]

Missouri Tarantula

Tarantula's in the Midwest (Missouri)

This hairy species is Missouri's largest spider. Female tarantulas average approximately 50mm in length, the males 40mm. Body and legs are uniformly dark chocolate-brown, with reddish hairs on the carapace.

The tarantula's large size and shaggy appearance is frightening to many people, leading them to believe it has a ferocious nature. It actually is a shy creature, quick to evade humans. Taranthulas are typically at home in areas seldom frequented by people. They appear to prefer dry, rocky glades, where they spend their days in silk-lined burrows in abandoned rodent or reptile tunnels or in other natural cavities. Like many hunting spiders, tarantulas are active at night, when they hunt for insects such as crickets. In late summer and fall, south Missourians often see these large arachnids crossing roads. This wandering phenomenon has been documented in male tarantulas in southern california, but it has not been studied in Missouri.

Aphonopelma Hentzi


Missouri Tarantula"Ordinary" Tarantulas, Family Theraphosidae

This hairy species is Missouri's largest spider. Female tarantulas average approximately 50mm in length, the males 40mm. Body and legs are uniformly dark chocolate-brown, with reddish hairs on the carapace.

The tarantula's large size and shaggy appearance is frightening to many people, leading them to believe it has a ferocious nature. It actually is a shy creature, quick to evade humans. Taranthulas are typically at home in areas seldom frequented by people. They appear to prefer dry, rocky glades, where they spend their days in silk-lined burrows in abandoned rodent or reptile tunnels or in other natural cavities. Like many hunting spiders, tarantulas are active at night, when they hunt for insects such as crickets. In late summer and fall, south Missourians often see these large arachnids crossing roads. This wandering phenomenon has been documented in male tarantulas in southern california, but it has not been studied in Missouri.

Missouri distribution: the tarantula occurs typically in open, dry glades in south and central Missouri. The Missouri river presumably acts as a barrier to the spider's movement into northern Missouri.