Goliath Tarantula - Ted

The Goliath Birdeater Tarantula is the largest arachnid on Earth with a leg span of up to 12 inches. They come in a variety of shades from black to dark brown to tan. This tarantula lives in the rainforest regions of northern South America, including Venezuela, northern Brazil, Guyana, French Guiana and Suriname. It lives in the deep rainforest, in silk-lined burrows and under rocks and roots. Despite their name, they don’t usually eat birds because they are a terrestrial species, but they are large enough to and occasionally do. Their diet mainly consists of insects but they are known to eat frogs and small mammals, too.

Goliaths have poor eyesight and rely heavily on super sensitive hairs that cover their legs. They also have specialized hairs tipped with barbs on the abdomen called urticating hairs which can be shot at any potential predators if the spider feels threatened. Female Goliaths use those same urticating hairs to cover their large egg sacs, which hold between 50 and 150 eggs. Hatchlings stay close to their mother until they fully mature at 2 to 3 years.

There are no tarantula species native to Michigan, but we are home to many large spider species such as wolf spiders, fishing spiders and garden spiders. All three of these species can be seen in the fields and forests of Sarett. Wolf spiders do not build webs but are ambush hunters similar to fishing spiders, except fishing spiders specialize in, you guessed it, fishing! They can be seen sitting on rocks or lily pads in and around the ponds of Sarett waiting for a waterbug or damselfly to swim by. Black and yellow garden spiders (Argiope aurantia) are usually found in wet meadows or grasslands with amazingly woven webs. They weave a large web with a zigzag structure in the middle which helps them camouflage.

Ted is Sarett Nature Center’s resident Goliath Birdeater Tarantula; he was donated to us in April of 2023 by a couple looking for a good home for him. It was quite odd timing as we had just purchased our Brazilian Black Tarantula, Sally, but she still has a lot of growing to do before she is quite ready. Ted was welcomed with open arms and has been a great educational ambassador in his time here. Having a large spider is very useful for naturalists when teaching a program about invertebrates or spiders as they do a great job of showcasing their lovely anatomy.