Seattle Zoo Rescues 250 Tarantula Spiderlings, Venomous Reptiles

SEATTLE, WA - In an act of bravery, the Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle has rescued, yikes, 250 baby tarantulas and some venomous reptiles. The zoo inherited the critters after they were left homeless.

The reptiles, including Gila monsters, copperheads, and vipers, came to the zoo after their owner died. The woman's friends asked the zoo to take them in. Woodland Park will keep the Gila monsters. The snakes will be placed with other accredited zoos.

"These people cared deeply for their friend who passed away and wanted to ensure that her animals went to a good home. We don’t want these animals to end up in the wrong hands or euthanized," Woodland Park animal curator Jennifer Pramuk, PhD, said in a press release.

The baby tarantulas, called spiderlings, were brought to the zoo by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The feds confiscated the arachnids from an importer. The tarantulas are native to Brazil, but that country doesn't export adults tarantulas, so the zoo suspects the babies were bred illegally.

According to the zoo, these tarantuals, holy cow, eat birds. But don't worry, that's not as horrifying as it sounds - they only "snack" on birds.

"From their name, you might think these tarantulas eat birds and nothing else. But that's not the case! Though they do snack on the occasional small bird, the bulk of their diet consists of various insects," the St. Louis Zoo wrote on a page dedicated to the Brazilian salmon pink birdeater.

(Take a second to check your shoulder or your feet to make sure there isn't a tarantula there.)

The spiderlings can grow to be up to 10 inches. Their bites are painful but not fatal - but they rarely bite humans, anyway.

Even if they're not your cup of tea, creatures like these often end up in the pet trade. Sometimes, their owners can't care for them and end up discarding them.

“People don’t realize that caring for wild animals is very challenging. Wild animals haven’t been molded for life with humans, as domesticated animals have been. Exotic animals can be aggressive or unpredictable, pose health and disease problems, and have special dietary and environmental needs that many owners are not prepared to address. We encourage potential pet owners to seriously consider the many specialized needs of animals before owning an exotic pet,” Pramuk said in a press release.

Caption: A zoo keeper in London holds a red kneed bird-eating tarantula. Not the same type of tarantula taken in by Woodland Park Zoo, but you get the picture.

Photo by Oli Scarff/Getty Images