Tarantulas!

I just got back from the University of Texas Brackenridge Field Lab. We shot the next episode of Enzoology - "The Chilean Rose Haired Tarantula". My dad actually let it crawl on his hand! (He hates spiders LOL). Even my mom held it and petted it. It was awesome. Her name was Rose and she was HUGE! She tried to crawl right up my face. You should see her fangs - red and giant. I met a bunch of scientists too. Man, that was fun. Here's some stuff about the tarantula.

The Tarantula is one of the largest arachnids.

Tarantulas are carnivores - they eat insects. Some get so big they even eat frogs, mice and birds!

They can be found in most of the worlds tropical, subtropical and arid regions and live in the ground. In America they live in the Southwest.

Tarantulas don't spin webs - instead they grab their prey and inject venom that paralyzes the prey so they can suck their guts out.

They have an interesting defense mechanism - they can throw hairs from their body - when these hairs get in a predators skin, it's really irritating.

Tarantulas lay eggs and a single nest can contain up to 1000 babies!

There are 800 species of Tarantulas

They are harmless to humans. They can bite but they usually don't unless you really bug them!

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The Green Anole!

One of my favorite lizards is the Green Anole. We have tons of them right in our backyard!

They grow to about eight inches long and females are smaller - usually under five inches long.

Like geckos, they have adhesive foot pads so they can climb straight up a wall!

A lot of people think they are chameleons because they can change colors but they are not related.

There are 300 known species of Anoles - we ha Carolina Anoles. I even found one in my house!

You can spot a male by looking for a brightly colored flap of skin under their neck called a dewlap. Females can have them too but they are smaller.

They live all over the Southeastern United States.

Anoles eat insects and spiders so they are really good to have around if you hate spiders. I like spiders.

An anole can live up to seven years!

Male anoles perform rituals of dominance and territoriality. They show their dominance by bobbing their heads, usually through push up-like movements.

They also flare their dewlap. When threatened by another male, the opponents begin with head bobbing and flaring. Then they extend their throat (different than dewlap) to enlarge their body profile, they turn lateral to their opponent, showing the side profile of their body.

They also erect crests along the back, and form an eyespot. These performances are intended to intimidate the other anole. The loser of the confrontation performs submissive head bobbing and retreats to a different territory.

Green anoles breed anywhere from late March to early October. Females can lay single eggs every two weeks. These eggs, which look like smaller, leathery versions of the chicken egg (1/4-3/8"), need moist soil and foliage. They hatch after anywhere from 5-7 weeks.

Anoles have little black eyes that can move independently of each other.

An anole's tail will easily break off if grabbed, which helps them escape predators. While a new tail will grow in its place, it will be shorter and less attractive. An anole can lose its tail only once.

They diurnal, which means they're active during the day.

Anoles have been around for about six million years.

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Enzoology is a hit!

Enzoology is a huge hit! If you sent an email, please be patient! I'm going to respond to everyone but I'm getting a little behind! My web site has had over 2000 visitors in one week! Another exciting development is an invitation from the University of Texas to tour their entomology collection. I can't wait! They have huge bugs!

Check out episode two: Dolphins and Sharks

Stay tuned!

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Enzoology - Episode two is coming!

My dad is editing Episode Two - Sharks and Dolphins. We took some great video at Sea World and I am really into sea life. It's going to be so cool - watch for it toward the end of the week!

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