why cant tarantulas live in the northern states

[Tcrazy]

It just came arcross my mind i just found out that Scorpions do exsist in Kentucky. now if scorpions can exsist in the wild of kentucky why cant Tarantulas... or has anyone ever looked. Now I do know probley because of the low temps of the northern states. But doesnt India temps go as low as 0 °C (32 °F) some times colder... and tarantulas do exsit there but they go underground where its warmer.. there are many places a tarantlua can burrow where temps get low as 10d.. and stay warm...

 

[DFox]

You're probably right about nobody ever looking, we need to get some zoologists out to KY as soon as possible to start searching for Theraphosids! You might be enlightened to learn that tarantulas, like all arachnids are cold blooded.

 

[Moltar]

There are Aphonopelmas in the midwest as far and farther north than Kentucky. However AFAIK there are none east of the Mississippi River. (Except for the Avics and Brachy's in Florida of course.)

 

[rustym3talh3ad]

ive heard of people on the boards going herping down in the southern states and finding Ts alive and kickin during very cold periods...and ive even heard a story of a T being found under a rock half frozen where snow is very prominent and once they warmed it up the T begin moving around and acting healthy as could be. so to say they CANT live where its cold is a silly statement which i feel needs to be researched and proven. scorps in kentucky could lead to other discoveries and finds...lets get our cameras and deli cups out to KY!

 

[Richard McJimsey]

There are Aphonopelmas in the midwest as far and farther north than Kentucky. However AFAIK there are none east of the Mississippi River. (Except for the Avics and Brachy's in Florida of course.)

There are Avics in Florida? I'd like to see a source. Also, AFAIK, the only Brachy in Florida is vagans.

 

[wedge07]

No Theraphosids east of the Mississippi river (expect introduced B. vagans and Avics in Florida), but I don't doubt that they could live as far north as Kentucky or even southern Illinois or Indiana. A. hentzi have been found in southern Missouri.

 

[Jeff Godbold]

I live in Florida and have my whole life.........and it seems that there a lot of people that have heard of feral tarantula species in Florida but but i've never met one that has actually seen them first hand.

 

[Moltar]

There are Avics in Florida? I'd like to see a source. Also, AFAIK, the only Brachy in Florida is vagans.

Yes, the Brachys I refer to are the infamous orange grove vagans colony. I've heard several anecdotal accounts of seeing Avivs there as well. It wouldn't surprise me one little bit to hear that officially proven. As popular as they are and as easily as they would thrive there I figure even if they're not actually there yet it's still only a matter of time.

 

[Nerri1029]

You're probably right about nobody ever looking, we need to get some zoologists out to KY as soon as possible to start searching for Theraphosids! You might be enlightened to learn that tarantulas, like all arachnids are cold bloodedhttp://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-a-cold-blooded-animal.htmhttp://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-a-cold-blooded-animal.htm.

I am curious why this was brought up?
while it is related. It seems moot as there are scorps in the area in question.

I have $20 says the OP knew they were cold blooded.

I think it's a logical jump from Scorps to T's when questioning distribution, and at least asking " why not? "

 

[Shrike]

I live in Florida and have my whole life.........and it seems that there a lot of people that have heard of feral tarantula species in Florida but but i've never met one that has actually seen them first hand.

B. vagans is well documented in Florida. Here is one source:

http://entomology.ifas.ufl.edu/creatures/misc/spiders/M_redrump.htm

Although I haven't seen them personally, there are members of this board that have both seen and collected them.

 

[Tcrazy]

I am curious why this was brought up?
while it is related. It seems moot as there are scorps in the area in question.

I have $20 says the OP knew they were cold blooded.

I think it's a logical jump from Scorps to T's when questioning distribution, and at least asking " why not? "

it was brought up cause as long as i been in to tarantluas and scorpions and i never thought of scorpions can live in kentucky till yesterday. scorps are usually found in the same reagions as tarantluas, scorps are cold blooded just like other arthropods and arachnids and insects. parts of texas that i have lived it got very cold below 0. with the climets changing and many cold blooded sp are evolving to with stand colder climets.
when i went hiking in south kentucky i did not expect to find scorpions.. well who would. so i went out looking for more, i lifted many rocks looking, one rock i lifted and a large spider web covering around a burrow . i wanted to see if ant thing was in there but i didnt because what ever kind of critter lives in there probleby would not be active till it got warmer and did not want to disterb it though i have that spot marked i am going back out later to search for any possibility

 

[natebugman]

B. vagans is well documented in Florida. Here is one source:

http://entomology.ifas.ufl.edu/creatures/misc/spiders/M_redrump.htm

Although I haven't seen them personally, there are members of this board that have both seen and collected them.

I've seen one that the Florida Division of Plant Industry uses as a demonstration animal at the state fair. I'm pretty sure that one was caught in Florida. Anyone know what the rules are on collecting those wild B. vagans if you were to find one?

 

[DFox]

I am curious why this was brought up?
while it is related. It seems moot as there are scorps in the area in question.

I have $20 says the OP knew they were cold blooded.

I think it's a logical jump from Scorps to T's when questioning distribution, and at least asking " why not? "

Well it wouldn't be very informative to go around assuming people already knew things would it?

Feel free to delete this post because someone disagreed with you.

 

[natebugman]

Oh, and just because they are cold blooded doesn't mean they can't survive environments where it gets below freezing...even much colder. I used to live in West Texas where winter temperatures got well below freezing...even occasionally below zero. We had tarantulas, scorpions, centipedes, vinegaroons, etc. My pet A. hentzi was wild caught out there. There is some other reason that tarantulas did not develop or remain in areas east of the Mississippi River including Kentucky.

 

[Shrike]

Wow. Sounds like somebody has an axe to grind.

 

[wedge07]

It is actually incorrect to consider them cold blooded. They do not have any blood, they have hemolymph. Also they are not capable of maintaining constant internal temperature. So they rely completely on their external environment for heat. Many species have adopted certain behaviors to maintain constant external temps. A. hentzi close up their burrows during the winter for example.

 

[Shrike]

I've seen one that the Florida Division of Plant Industry uses as a demonstration animal at the state fair. I'm pretty sure that one was caught in Florida. Anyone know what the rules are on collecting those wild B. vagans if you were to find one?

I don't think collecting B. vagans is regulated in FL as they are an exotic species. The state has tried fairly hard to eradicate them.

 

[wedge07]

I don't think collecting B. vagans is regulated in FL as they are an exotic species. The state has tried fairly hard to eradicate them.

Who's up for a T hunting trip to Florida?

 

[DFox]

It is actually incorrect to consider them cold blooded. They do not have any blood, they have hemolymph. Also they are not capable of maintaining constant internal temperature. So they rely completely on their external environment for heat. Many species have adopted certain behaviors to maintain constant external temps. A. hentzi close up their burrows during the winter for example.

"Cold-blooded animals (ectotherms) are animals that do not have an internal mechanism for regulating body temperature, relying instead on solar energy captured by the environment."

The definition of a cold-blooded animal doesn't seem to include the presence of actual blood, similar to vertebrate blood. So it appears that your first two sentences were wrong, and then you contradicted and corrected yourself at the same time in your third and fourth sentences, that made me giggle.

 

[Transylvania]

I've heard of one species of scorpion here and I think they're more common in the south, but some individuals have even been found in central KY, around Lexington (or so I've heard). Though I've never seen any myself.
I just did a little research, and according to the University of Kentucky's Entomology website, the species is Southern Devil Scorpion (Vejovis carolinianus):

Southern Devil Scorpion (R. Bessin, 2000)

But tarantulas? Hot damn, I'm goin' investigatin'!