Citizens of a small english village are understandably on edge after finding out that there may be two giant tarantulas on the loose. Some discarded pots were recently discovered in the village of Somercotes in Derbyshire by a local woman in the Bateman’s Yard livery stable’s car park. After having accidentally driven over the pots, a driver alerted the woman to their presence, claiming that he’d seen two large tarantula spiders run away from the discarded pots. These two “larger spiders” may be the parents of the three baby tarantulas that were found inside the pots. After the woman alerted the RSPCA of her discovery, they came to rescue the abandoned baby tarantulas and try to find the missing parents the driver claimed he saw.
After they collected the pots and took them to a specialist, the RSPCA was in for a surprise when they were told these were no ordinary tarantulas. The baby spiders turned out to be Brazilian salmon pink bird-eaters, one of the largest species of tarantula with a leg span of up to 25cm. This species usually lives in the forests of Brazil and are partially pink, making the really big tarantulas stand out even more. The specialist is now caring for the baby tarantulas, as well as making sure to keep the rest of the pots warm, as they contain more eggs that could hatch. Unfortunately, the English weather is not ideal for these spiders, meaning the missing parents may not be able to survive long out in the open.
The real question is who originally brought these spiders to England. It is illegal to release non-native species into the wild under the 1981 Wildlife and Countryside Act. These bird-eaters could certainly cause some problems in this new habitat, making locals worried about the two remaining tarantulas thought to be wandering around somewhere in their village. They could cause some real harm to the native animal population, so finding the two tarantula parents is rather important. Locals are all on the look-out for the large, partially pink spiders. Hopefully they are found soon.
What is the largest spider you have ever seen? What would your reaction be to stumbling across one of these large spiders in your backyard?