Where are Barking Spiders Found?

Where are barking spiders found? Most of them are found in Australia. They also belong under the tarantula species. In fact, no other spider species are named after a star cloud (tarantula nebula) except for the tarantula species. Now that says a lot! Where are barking spiders found? Tarantulas can be found in various regions of the world. And wherever they live, they are given their own special names just like the Barking/ Whistling Spiders of Australia. Some other names include Bird – Eating Spider, King Baboon Spider, Tiger Spiders etc. In this article, you’ll learn more about the characteristics of barking spiders and tarantula species and we will also answer your question, where are barking spiders found?

Where Are Barking Spiders Found: History

Where are barking spiders found? As mentioned earlier, barking spiders are under the tarantula species. But what makes it a tarantula? Tarantula species including barking spiders are one of the oldest creatures on the planet. They generally have venomous fangs and this is what they use as a defense to various predators and to also capture their prey. To scientists, these species are classified under the family theraphosidae.

Characteristics

Barking spiders just like other tarantula species all have combination of five unique characteristics. The first characteristic is that they are very hairy. The second one is that they all possess pads that are dense. Each of their legs also has retractable claws just like a cat. The third one is that they have very long spinnerets that are also shaped like fingers. The fourth characteristic is that they have hundreds of black dots on their mouth. They use these to crush their prey and ingest their food. And last but not least, they have eight eyes on a rectangular position but they still remain somewhat blind. The interesting thing is that while other spider species possess a few of these physical characteristics, only a tarantula species have all five.

Silk Weaving

Where are barking spiders found? Primitive spider species like the barking spiders are the best creators of silk in the animal kingdom. They can almost be compared to an ancient weaving master because they can weave four different types of silk strands.

Trip Lines

If you’re not familiar with silk, it has a natural antibiotic that can keep the underground shelter of spiders clean. The barking spider species use it to line and also strengthen the burrows they create. From the opening of their burrow, they set up lines of webs (sort of like a trip line) that function as an early warning system in case a predator is nearby. When they are hiding inside their burrow, they use the trip line of webs outside to detect if there’s any movement. The outside webs are connected to the inside webs. This enables them to know if something is going on outside even if they’re not seeing it.

Pre – Mating

Where are barking spiders found? In order for a male spider to find a female to mate, he uses his sense of smell. Male spiders follow the smell of a female’s pheromones. When female spiders are ready to mate, they lay down a scented silk in order to attract the males and lead him to her residence. When the male spider finds the female, they typically court them through tapping their legs. Experts refer to it as “tap dance.” The sperm of the male spider is in the dark bulbs of his paw pads. This serves as the males’ sexual organ. In order to lure the female out, the male will continue to drum or tap his legs. He will also try to get inside the burrow even though there is a risk that he could be eaten by the female. This is also why males have a shorter lifespan compared to females. Keep in mind that males have a natural instinct for mating which is why even the risk of being eaten won’t stop him.  

Mating and Post – Mating

Often times, females have a bad temper that they will initially attack the males. But most males still pursue, and will be willing to prove that he really wants her. If the male’s advances pay off, the female will come out of her burrow. At this point, the male still can’t be sure if the female will mate with him and not strike or prey on him. To guarantee a mating, the male might try to continue its tap dance, and let the female completely come out its burrow. The mating ends rather quickly once the male successfully injects his sperm unto the female. There could be several attempts before this happens.

Run for Your Life!

Once the whole mating is over, male spiders usually scurry away because there could be a chance that the female will eat for dinner. If the male still wants to mate, he would have to look for other females who are also ovulating.

Where Are Barking Spiders Found: How They Live in the Wild

Where are barking spiders found? Insects usually make a tasty treat for barking spiders. When a prey is near the entrance, the spider can sense the step of its wandering prey. The vibrations of the radar system through the webs they set up signal the whereabouts of the prey. They can also detect the potential size of it. Most often than not, barking spiders are a sit and wait type of predator. They will wait for the prey to come very close to them before striking. However, there could be instances that they will stalk their food a bit if they are really hungry.

Venomous Barking Spiders

Once the barking spider captures its prey through its venom, he will then take it inside the burrow to prepare the food. The venom they have will paralyze their prey and their fangs will also liquefy its body. After this, many spider species lays down another layer of web. According to experts, they don’t particularly know the reason why but it seems that they do it as a form of food packaging that they can then restore and maybe eat for later.

Carnivorous

Where are barking spiders found? Keep in mind that a spider, even if it is as big as a barking spider can’t eat solid foods. This is because they don’t have jaws and teeth. They mostly rely on their fangs to turn their food into a creamy and highly nutritious soup. One big meal can last them for a couple of months. They are generally carnivorous and they are not fuzzy eaters.