California Tarantula

Arachnids

1 photograph Open a photograph for a closer look and camera details.

This album uses the broad California Tarantula label because the exact species has not been established. Tarantulas are large, hairy spiders with eight legs, belonging to the arachnids rather than the insects. Many spend long periods in sheltered burrows and hunt insects or other small animals, often becoming more active in cooler conditions. Body color alone can be misleading for identification, so a precise species name is left open rather than inferred from this photograph.

Reference: National Park Service: tarantula natural history