Tarantulas are the largest of the spiders on Earth. They have 85 genera and an estimated 800 species, and have been roaming the earth for over 300 million years. Tarantulas fit into one of 2 general catagories; Trappers and Hunters. They belong to the phylum Antropoda, and of course, are invertebrates. They have jointed legs and a protective exoskeleton. The main difference between a tarantula and an insect is that they have 2 major body sections, four pairs of legs, and a pair of chelicerae. They are capable of producing silk, which they use for building webs. The webs are used to capture prey, line burrows, aerial ballooning activities and wrapping eggs.

Tarantulas have been accused of delievering very dangerous bites. This is largely false. Most bites would be similar to a bee sting. But Certain Central and South American species could be very venomous.