Big, Hairy, And Scary

I went out to take down the feeders after sunset (so the bats won't drain them overnight).  I carried the first one over to the short table on the patio and got a sudden fright.  This huge, hairy, black spider was climbing the wall.  It was a tarantula.  My first instinct was to run into the house for a camera (we blippers are so weird).  Then I picked up the broom and smashed the hell out of it with one huge bang.

Here's some info about these creatures:

The desert tarantula is one of the most misunderstood creatures in the arid Southwest. Despite its fearsome appearance, this fascinating arachnid is docile, reclusive, and nearly harmless.

Tarantulas are easy to identify. Male and female tarantulas are about the same size and color and both genders are conspicuously large. A mature tarantula weighs several ounces and has eight four-inch long legs appended to a body that's two or three inches long.

What makes tarantulas look hairy is the thousands of hair-like filaments or fine bristles that cover much of their bodies. The main function of these hairs (called setae) is to help the spider, which has very poor eyesight, sense the presence of prey, determine wind direction, identify chemical signatures (such as pheremones), and assess other vital elements of its environment.

As if the tarantula's big and hairy appearance weren't enough to push arachnophobia sufferers over the edge, this spider also has two large, conspicuous fangs for injecting venom into prey. The venom not only helps to immobilize prey, but also liquefies and digests the soft insides of the beetles, crickets, grasshoppers, cicadas, caterpillars, millipedes, spiders, and other animals in the tarantula diet (which may include lizards, snakes, mice, and small birds if the spider is big enough).