PHILADELPHIA, December 21, 2015

Tarantulas are large, hairy-looking, quick-witted, fierce predators. They can be scary-looking, but they also possess a unique beauty, and scientists continue to make new discoveries about them. Here are some quick facts about tarantulas to keep in mind when visiting Tarantulas: Alive and Up Close, on view Jan. 30 through May 30 at the Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University.

• Tarantulas are spiders, and spiders are arachnids.
• There are some 900 species of tarantulas.
• Tarantulas range from the size of a fingernail to the size of a dinner plate.
• All tarantulas can produce silk, which they use to line their burrows.
• Some people in South America roast tarantulas and eat them.
• Tarantulas have tiny hairs on their body that they kick off when threatened.
• The Goliath bird-eating tarantula is the largest spider on Earth.
• Tarantulas are among the most fearsome predators. All tarantulas are venomous, but most are quite docile.
• Some, like the Goliath bird-eating tarantula, inflict fatal bites with venomous fangs.
• Habitat destruction and the effects of pesticides are threats to some tarantula populations.
• Scientists aren’t sure why some tarantulas are an amazing shade of blue, National Geographic reports.

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