Jasper County Democrat, Volume 22, Number 2, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 5 April 1919 — Tarantulas Construct Their Burrows and Nest in Ground [ARTICLE]

Tarantulas Construct Their Burrows and Nest in Ground

Tarantulas are plentiful in the rough, broken country In the southern part of California. They are repulsivelooking creatures, with fat, hairy bodies, overplentlful wiry legs and cruel poison mandibles. They stay in their burrows during the dry season, but as soon as the rains begin they sally forth. The tarantula constructs a very skillful burrow and nests in the ground. It has a cover so nicely fitted that it can scarcely be detected from the surrounding soil. The cover opens and shuts upon a hinge and on the inside are holes into which the occupant thrusts its mandibles and thus “holds the fort” against Intruders.