frogs and tarantulas can be friends!?!?

[RJ2]

this is cool story!
"More recently, Karunarathna & Amarasinghe (2009) reported close relationships between the microhyline Ramanella nagaoi (frog) and the theraphosids Poecilotheria ornata and P. cf. subfusca in Sri Lanka." wow I could not image a ornata tolerating anything!

http://scienceblogs.com/tetrapodzoology/2009/07/03/tiny-frogs-and-giant-spiders/

 

[antinous]

Yup, there are quite a few species that actually do this. When I was in South America, I was talking to some biologists who studied the Xenesthis & Pamphobeteus genus living together with frogs in their burrows. Pretty interesting nonetheless.

 

[Blueandbluer]

That is really cool. Thanks for sharing!

 

[MrsHaas]

Craziness! I don't think I'll try it myself but an awesome factoid none the less

 

[tonypace2009]

aphonopelma hentzi and toads

I have witnessed aphonopelma hentzi and toads living together. A huge texas toad used to live in our meter box with a juvenile aphonopelma hentzi. Sometimes in the late evening I would see them just outside there burrow within inches of each other. The toad could almost take the tarantula in one gulp these toads around here are huge. I work in irrigation so I am looking in meter boxes all the time and see toads and tarantulas in several of the boxes. I think it would be neat to put a camera in the box to see how well they tolerate each other. then the next project would be filming the aphonopelma hentzi that think they are arboreal I would see them all the time catching geckos off the side of our apartment building one lived in the soffit of our neighbors building. Tarantulas are highly adaptive.

 

[Angel Minkov]

If I ever have the room and the materials, Im definitely going to try it with a P. ornata. Not with the one I currently have, because sadly he is a male.

 

[sublimejimbob]

This is a great example of mutualism, thanks for the post!

 

[Chris LXXIX]

I have heard as well about the mutualism between Xenesthis immanis and a frog that i don't remember the name, this things happens in the wild but i think it's impossible to replicate that scenario in captivity.

 

[Roosterbomb]

I watched a doc in Ts and it showed an Aphonapelma living with a frog. I think it ate the ants inside the burrow.