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In the first place, Tarantula's are Arachnids (which includes scorpions, ticks, and mites). Period.
If you're reading resources saying that Tarantulas are not spiders, they might be referring to something that's unique to Tarantulas, which is that their jaws move up and down, whereas for all other spiders the fangs move from side-to-side in a horizontal sweep.
But that's hardly enough to say that Tarantulas are not spiders. There's a lot of diversity within Order Araneae (just spiders, without the scorpions and mites and ticks).
If someone is trying to tell you that Tarantulas are not "spiders", then ask them where daddy long legs fit in, which has only one body part.
Now *that's* a spider that darn near doesn't deserve the designation.
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so it is both a spider and an arachnid
you can get more insight here
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tarantula
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/arachnids/spider/Tarantulaprintout.shtml
Source(s):
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tarantula
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/arachnids/spider/Tarantulaprintou...
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Kingdom: Animalia
Phyllum: Arthropoda
Class: Arachnida
Order: Araneae
Suborder: Mygalomorphae
Superfamily: Theraphosoidea
Family: Theraphosidae
Thorell, 1870
So, technically, since they are in the class Arachnida, they are arachnids, or spiders. The word arachnid comes from the greek word ἀράχνη (aráchnē), meaning "spider"
Source(s):
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tarantula
http://tolweb.org/Arachnida
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Source(s):
http://species.wikimedia.org/wiki/Mygalomorphae
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opisthothelae#Taxonomy
Tags: tarantula, spider
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"Arachnids are a class (Arachnida) of joint-legged invertebrate animals in the subphylum Chelicerata. All arachnids have eight legs, although in some species the front pair may convert to a sensory function. The term is derived from the Greek word ἀράχνη (aráchnē), meaning "spider".2"
Arachnid is a general identification,outlines what traits an organism must have to be a spider. Tarantula is the species like a wolf and a dog.. they're both canines but they are different species.
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Source(s):
http://www.desertusa.com/july96/du_taran.html
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Answered Question
M$3.05
October 25, 2009 10:44 PM
Is a Tarantula a spider? Or an arachnid? Or both?
I've checked out a ton of resources, and most say a Tarantula is a member of the arachnid family, but not a spider. However, lots of reliable resources refer to them as "large hairy spiders." Wish I could get the real scoop, if anyone has it!
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Best Answer Decided by Votes
| October 26, 2009 06:06 AM |
If you're reading resources saying that Tarantulas are not spiders, they might be referring to something that's unique to Tarantulas, which is that their jaws move up and down, whereas for all other spiders the fangs move from side-to-side in a horizontal sweep.
But that's hardly enough to say that Tarantulas are not spiders. There's a lot of diversity within Order Araneae (just spiders, without the scorpions and mites and ticks).
If someone is trying to tell you that Tarantulas are not "spiders", then ask them where daddy long legs fit in, which has only one body part.
Now *that's* a spider that darn near doesn't deserve the designation.
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Other Answers (6)
October 25, 2009 11:12 PM
A Tarantula is a spider of the class Arachnida. so it is both a spider and an arachnid
you can get more insight here
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tarantula
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/arachnids/spider/Tarantulaprintout.shtml
Source(s):
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tarantula
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/arachnids/spider/Tarantulaprintou...
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October 25, 2009 11:20 PM
This is their classification: Kingdom: Animalia
Phyllum: Arthropoda
Class: Arachnida
Order: Araneae
Suborder: Mygalomorphae
Superfamily: Theraphosoidea
Family: Theraphosidae
Thorell, 1870
So, technically, since they are in the class Arachnida, they are arachnids, or spiders. The word arachnid comes from the greek word ἀράχνη (aráchnē), meaning "spider"
Source(s):
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tarantula
http://tolweb.org/Arachnida
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October 26, 2009 05:07 PM
Thank you! Someone else put them in the suborder Opisthothelae. Any thoughts on that?
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October 26, 2009 11:56 AM
Tarantulas are spiders and spiders are Arachnids. I have not seen anyone claim otherwise. The only thing I can think of that may be confusing you or some web site somewhere is that the spiders constitute the Order Araneae and that order is divided into two suborders. Tarantula are in the Suborder Opisthothelae which include a couple of thousand species of spiders which are sometimes called primitive spiders. Spider is a plain English word, all the Opisthothelae are spiders in English. The distinction between the two groups is of interest mainly to scientists who study spiders. Source(s):
http://species.wikimedia.org/wiki/Mygalomorphae
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opisthothelae#Taxonomy
Tags: tarantula, spider
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Helpful: bunnyphuphu, lilyloretta, lisak52
Tip albanian for this answerVoted as best: twinpairs
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October 26, 2009 05:05 PM
Thank you! Someone else put them in the suborder Mygalomorphae. Any thoughts on that?
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October 26, 2009 07:08 PM
The Mygalomorphae are an infraorder of spiders, that's the next level down below suborder. The Mesothelae are the other infraorder in the suborder, but there are only a few of them. Just generally speaking, even though animal classification is a hard science, deciding on the levels to group animals under is more of a judgement call and some scientists sort them differently.
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October 26, 2009 07:09 PM
A Tarantula is a large spider known for being very hairy unlike many spiders. "Arachnids are a class (Arachnida) of joint-legged invertebrate animals in the subphylum Chelicerata. All arachnids have eight legs, although in some species the front pair may convert to a sensory function. The term is derived from the Greek word ἀράχνη (aráchnē), meaning "spider".2"
Arachnid is a general identification,outlines what traits an organism must have to be a spider. Tarantula is the species like a wolf and a dog.. they're both canines but they are different species.
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October 26, 2009 08:52 PM
Tarantulas comprise a group of hairy and often very large spiders belonging mainly to the family Theraphosidae.
Source(s):
http://www.desertusa.com/july96/du_taran.html
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They've been creeping me out for many years! haha :p