Acanthopelminae
Aviculariinae
Eumenophorinae
Harpactirinae
Ischnocolinae
Ornithoctoninae
Poecilotheriinae
Selenocosmiinae
Selenogyrinae
Spelopelminae
Stromatopelminae
Theraphosinae
Thrigmopoeinae
Tarantula is the common name for a group of hairy, often very large spiders belonging to the family Theraphosidae, of which 800 species have been identified. Tarantulas hunt prey on the ground and do not spin webs unless they live in a tunnel. They line their tunnel with web to catch wandering prey. They mainly eat insects and other arthropods, caught by speed or ambush. The biggest tarantulas can kill animals as large as lizards, mice, or birds. Most tarantulas are harmless to humans, and some species are popular in the exotic pet trade while others are eaten as food. These stocky, fearsome-looking spiders are found in tropical and desert regions around the world.
The name tarantula comes from the town of Taranto in Italy and was originally used for an unrelated species of European spider. (See Wolf spider for more information about this spider). In North America the term tarantula commonly refers to species of theraphosids found in the Americas. In Africa, theraphosids are frequently referred to as baboon spiders. Asian forms are known as earth tigers or bird spiders. Australians refer to their species as barking spiders, whistling spiders, or bird spiders. People in other parts of the world also apply the general name mygales to theraphosid spiders.
There are other species also referred to as tarantulas outside this family; the evolution of the name Tarantula is discussed below. This article primarily concerns the theraphosids.