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True tarantulas are all spiders of the family Theraphosidae, sometimes called bird spiders or monkey spiders, which are native to South America and Central America. However the name 'tarantula' is often loosely applied to a range of large spiders. The name was originally applied to the Wolf spider Lycosa tarantula, found near the town of Taranto in Southern Italy, that was once believed to cause a fatal condition called tarantism. Photo credit: Fir0002 |
