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Every autumn the male tarantula wanders in search of a female to mate with which is why you're more likely to see the usually docile creature out and about, even here on the Central Coast. Tarantulas are generally shy creatures and will retreat to their burrow if disturbed, said Garland Ranch Regional Park, but they don't recommend that you handle them. "Handled, they may bite with their fangs or rub the hairs of their abdomen with their back legs, creating a cloud of stinging hairs that settle in the skin," the park wrote on Facebook.

JoCho Sippawat, known for his videos about Thailand's wildlife, discovered the first known tarantula to live exclusively inside bamboo stalks.A wildlife YouTuber from Thailand discovered the first tarantula known to exclusively live in hollowed-out bamboo stalks. JoCho Sippawat, a YouTuber with 2.5 million subscribers and 1.9 million Facebook followers, found the previously unknown tarantula while on a wilderness trip near his home in northwestern Thailand, according to a Jan. 12 news release. Upon returning, Sippawat emailed a photo of the tarantula to arachnologist Narin Chomphuphuang, who researches spiders at Khon Kaen University. Chomphuphuang then embarked on a field trip, with...

DENVER (AP) — About this time every year, southeastern Colorado towns like La Junta see more visitors looking to glimpse saucer-sized Texas brown tarantulas as they scurry out of their burrows and across fields and roads in search of a mate. The eight-legged spectacle might not last long: Scientists say climate change, theft and human development are cutting into tarantulas’ population, with fewer emerging year after year. “It’s a noticeable numbers game,” said Ryan Jones, a research associate at the Denver Museum of Nature of Science. “If you compare pictures, you can tell that there are just fewer males out...

A new species of tarantula was discovered in the southwestern African nation of Angola. What’s most intriguing about this new spider, called Ceratogyrus attonitifer, is the horn-like appendage protruding from its back. It belongs to the genus of Ceratogyrus (horned baboon spiders), yet scientists haven’t seen anything quite like this new species. The researcher who discovered the horned tarantula, John Midgley, showed photos of the arachnid to Ian Engelbrecht, an expert on spiders, and he didn’t believe the pictures were real at first. “I knew then we had discovered a new species,” Midgley told National Geographic. “It’s rare to know...

A judge threw out a New York lawsuit Friday against Fox News by former host Andrea Tantaros, citing her “vague, speculative and conclusory allegations.” The lawsuit U.S. District Judge George Daniels dismissed had alleged Fox tried to torment Tantaros after she complained about sexual harassment. The lawsuit claimed Tantaros was viewed as a threat by Fox executives after she declined an offer of more than $1 million to remain silent. The suit said Tantaros suspected her emails and telephone conversations were being monitored after she revealed personal information in calls or emails that were then referenced by others in cruel...

Hungry customers began calling Bull City Burger and Brewery in Durham, North Carolina, last month in search of their famous tarantula burgers. The restaurant has been serving the eight-legged dish for the past three years in honor of exotic meat month -- and this year would be no different, though the establishment pushed the date back a month.

Quentin Tarantino has apologized to Samantha Geimer after suggesting that she wanted to have sex with Roman Polanski when she was 13. SNIIP Facing an online backlash, Tarantino has changed his position and called his remarks “cavalier.” “Fifteen years later, I realize how wrong I was,” Tarantino said. “Ms. Geimer WAS raped by Roman Polanski.” SNIP

It appears the only person able to represent Andrea Tantaros in the courtroom is Andrea Tantaros. The former co-host of “Outnumbered” and “The Five” has decided, after severing ties with three different lawyers, to represent herself in a lawsuit against her former employer, Fox News. ... Given the intricate accusations she has leveled against the company — and the fact she is going up against the formidable legal team at Fox News — Tantaros will need to essentially teach herself how to practice law in order to stand a chance. “Finally, Ms. Tantaro’s case is a complex one which will...

“All I wanted was a snack," 19-year-old Hannah Dafferner told Fox 5 San Diego. Dafferner first spotted the the spider, but didn't think it was real initially. “It didn’t move at first. I thought my sister put a Halloween decoration there or something. Then it moved its leg. I screamed bloody murder." The tarantula is described as being a three to four inch male. After the initial shock, Hannah's father came to the rescue, using a pitcher to capture the spider.

The Dafferner family received a message Wednesday asking about their eight-legged intruder. They said a 9-year-old girl in the neighborhood is excited to take ownership of the giant spider. “The private message was ‘can we have it?’ Who am I to say no?" Hannah's mom Alli Dafferner said. "Happily.” Tarantulas are known to live in San Diego County and throughout Southern California. According to several websites about the eight-legged creature, they are members of Aphonopelma, ground-dwelling hunting spiders. The California tarantula is nocturnal for most of its life, leaving its hole at night to hunt for beetles, grasshoppers, lizards, mice,...

Since her announcement that she’s suing her former employer Roger Ailes and Fox News for sexual harassment, beloved reporter Andrea Tantaros has been maintaining a low profile. She emerged from wherever she’s holing up, however, to name her choice for President. You’ll be relieved to hear, at very least, that she is not voting for Hillary Clinton. Said Tantaros of former Massachusetts Governor Weld, “He’s a good man, and he treats women with the utmost respect.” She formerly worked for Weld when he ran for Governor of New York. Said Tantaros of Trump, who she previously supported, “I’m disappointed that Donald Trump...

A challenging, years-long survey has uncovered 14 new species of U.S. tarantula, including one named after Johnny Cash. Some, like Aphonopelma madera, live on forested "sky islands," mountains surrounded on all sides by Arizona's deserts. Others, like the tiny Aphonopelma atomicum, nestle themselves in silk-lined burrows near Nevada's nuclear test sites. And Aphonopelma johnnycashi, named for the legendary country musician, makes its home near Folsom Prison, California. True to form, adult males are mostly black, a getup of which Cash--the Man in Black--would have no doubt been proud. (Also see "New Tarantula (Not Beetle) Named After John Lennon.") To uncover...

Piotr Naskrecki was taking a nighttime walk in a rainforest in Guyana, when he heard rustling as if something were creeping underfoot. When he turned on his flashlight, he expected to see a small mammal, such as a possum or a rat. "When I turned on the light, I couldn't quite understand what I was seeing," said Naskrecki, an entomologist and photographer at Harvard University's Museum of Comparative Zoology. A moment later, he realized he was looking not at a brown, furry mammal, but an enormous, puppy-size spider... (click image to enlarge)

In a world where even the smallest spiders can provoke a fearful shriek, Theraphosa blondi takes scare tactics to a whole new level. This South American tarantula holds the record for world's largest spider. Other spiders might have longer legs, but T. blondi's large body means its overall weight can reach 6 ounces (170 grams).Commonly known as the Goliath birdeater due to an 18th-century engraving showing another member of the tarantula family eating a hummingbird--which gave the entire Theraphosa genus the nickname of "bird eaters"--the gargantuan spider is not quite as menacing as it might seem.

It's big, it's hairy, and it's venomous. The newest spider to give arachnophobes the willies, a tarantula named Poecilotheria rajaei has been discovered on the island nation of Sri Lanka. With a leg span of 8 inches (20 centimeters) and enough venom to kill mice, lizards, small birds and snakes, according to Sky News, the crawler is covered in subtle markings of gray, pink and daffodil yellow. "It can be quite attractive, unless spiders freak you out," Peter Kirk, editor of the British Tarantula Society journal, told the New York Daily News. Even the scientists studying the spiders admit to...

Just now Rush had ''Mrs. Tarantula'' on the phone. She called with reference to Rush calling her daughter(from THE 5) Ms.Tarantula( a spoof obviously). Her call was edited for about 5 seconds and Rush seemed a bit taken aback. She finally said it fits and he repeated her final words. What was her full statement that needed to be edited.

A German man has been arrested on animal smuggling charges after he allegedly mailed hundreds of live tarantulas to customers in the United States. Sven Koppler, 37, was busted yesterday when he arrived in Los Angeles to meet with an associate, according to investigators. (snip) The federal probe of Koppler began in March, when agents intercepted a package headed for L.A. that contained about 300 tarantulas. Investigators subsequently seized a second United States Postal Service shipment containing nearly 250 live tarantulas. During an undercover probe (dubbed “Operation Spiderman”) run by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service agents, Koppler allegedly mailed several...

A Moorhead man reported to have crashed his car into a pickup and mailbox on Monday told Fargo police he was being bitten by a tarantula at the time, Sgt. Mark Lykken said. The hit-and-run incident happened at about 6:50 p.m. Monday at 18th Street South and 29th Avenue in Fargo. Lee Alexander Solarski, 27, was reportedly driving a 1998 Dodge Stratus northbound on 18th Street when he lost control of the car, hit a Nissan pickup and a mailbox and fled the scene. Witnesses provided the car’s license plate number, and police were able to identify Solarski as the...

A creepy case of a man who got tarantula hairs stuck in his eye has doctors advising people to wear eye protection when handling the eight-legged pets. In February 2009, a 29-year-old man visited the St. James's University Hospital in Leeds, England, after enduring three weeks of a red, watery and light-sensitive eye. A dose of antibiotics for what was presumed to be conjunctivitis didn't clear the symptoms. Doctors at the hospital examined the eye under high-magnification lenses and spotted hair-like projections sticking into the cornea of the right eye. "When we looked at this guy's cornea, the clear window...

SMITHTOWN, N.Y. -- An orange tarantula with venomous fangs was rescued by animal cruelty officials Friday after its owner said he could no longer care for it. "This is the kind of spider that nightmares are made of," said Roy Gross, chief of the Suffolk County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. He said the spider is moody and aggressive, and can jump 3 feet and bite with its large fangs when it rears up on its hind legs. The bites are dangerous to humans. The spider, known as an ornate golden baboon, has a fat body 5...