stubby8th
09-10-2005, 12:23 AM
My son and I decided to go on a hunt tonight! I brought my camera along this time to share some pics with you.
Here in North Texas, our native is Aphonopelma hentzi; Oklahoma brown or Texas brown. There is a colony right off the old town square that has been there for decades at least. Some of the old timers I've spoken with can remember them in this location for 50 years or more. Infact, this area was called 'tarantula hill' by the locals.
This spider is not your average 'brown' spider, rather it posesses a real subtle beauty; black legs and rump highlighted with red, metalic tan carapace. They are unusually docile, even by Aphonopelma standards!
The spiders in this colony live all along the sidewalk, making their burrow under the cement sidewalk segments. During the warmer months in the evening, they will stick their legs out of their burrow, literally 'feeling' for the vibrations of thier next meal.
When catching them, I bring a flashlight, deli cup and a small thin stick. I use the stick to tease the ground in front of the hole that the spider is sitting in - emulate the movements of a cricket with the stick. The spider should respond by 'jumping' at your stick and advanceing on your stick, thinking it is a cricket. It will start comming out of it's burrow trying to get at the disturbance. When it is far enough out of the hole, I trap the spider with the empty container. Then I carefully but quickly, slide the lid under the spider and back onto the container. No prodding the burrow, no pouring water down the hole, no digging up their habitat. Another will find this one's hole and take it over. By the way, they are FS, check it out . . .
Here are a few individuals that I coaxed out:
Here in North Texas, our native is Aphonopelma hentzi; Oklahoma brown or Texas brown. There is a colony right off the old town square that has been there for decades at least. Some of the old timers I've spoken with can remember them in this location for 50 years or more. Infact, this area was called 'tarantula hill' by the locals.
This spider is not your average 'brown' spider, rather it posesses a real subtle beauty; black legs and rump highlighted with red, metalic tan carapace. They are unusually docile, even by Aphonopelma standards!
The spiders in this colony live all along the sidewalk, making their burrow under the cement sidewalk segments. During the warmer months in the evening, they will stick their legs out of their burrow, literally 'feeling' for the vibrations of thier next meal.
When catching them, I bring a flashlight, deli cup and a small thin stick. I use the stick to tease the ground in front of the hole that the spider is sitting in - emulate the movements of a cricket with the stick. The spider should respond by 'jumping' at your stick and advanceing on your stick, thinking it is a cricket. It will start comming out of it's burrow trying to get at the disturbance. When it is far enough out of the hole, I trap the spider with the empty container. Then I carefully but quickly, slide the lid under the spider and back onto the container. No prodding the burrow, no pouring water down the hole, no digging up their habitat. Another will find this one's hole and take it over. By the way, they are FS, check it out . . .
Here are a few individuals that I coaxed out: