Mizgir: it is better not to anger him, he bites powerfully (9 photos)

Tarantula... as if regular spiders weren't enough, nature has created a huge and hairy version of one of the most frightening creatures on the planet. What could be worse? A tarantula that isn't afraid of frost! One of these has just settled in the vast expanses of our vast country. And its name is the South Russian tarantula, or mizgir.





Put a like if this photo makes you want to clap your hands.

This guy is really tough, because neither the scorching heat nor the bone-chilling cold scares him. Asia Minor and Central Asia, the Balkans, northern China, southern Western Siberia — the tarantula has confidently crawled into many warm and arid regions of Eurasia. Even the climate of the middle zone did not stop him — the spider has reached the latitudes of Moscow. This is the most frost-resistant tarantula known!



Boo! Are you scared? Don't be afraid! I'm a friend, I won't hurt you.

Have you already imagined eight-legged monsters walking through snowdrifts? Let us reassure you: the mizgir does not cool off in sub-zero temperatures. Its home is warm clearings. They are vital for the spider, because the sun is its partner in hunting. Instead of creating exquisite weightless webs, the tarantula builds holes up to half a meter deep. This is where the heat plays into the spider's hands.





Wow, what a sunny clearing you have in your garden! Now it's mine!

A neat round hole with walls made of cobwebs looks so attractive in the hottest weather. Mizgir, like a shrewd merchant, invites you to sit in the shade for free. But the inattentive traveler has to pay with his life for going out. Large insects and small vertebrates fall for the tarantula's trick: grasshoppers, ground beetles, lizards. And then everything follows the standard scenario: poison, digestive juices and a nutritious cocktail end up in the spider's stomach.



Make yourself at home, traveler. I will refuse nothing!

Have you already imagined how a giant creature jumps out of its half-meter hole at you and tries to drag you into its depths? Well, here's some good news for you: among its tarantula relatives, the mizgir is one of the smallest species! The body size of an adult female is no more than 4 cm, and the span of its legs is no more than 7. Males are even smaller. In addition, the spider's toxin is not dangerous to humans. Yes, a tarantula bite is painful - about the same as a wasp sting. But the symptoms quickly pass.



— Hello! I saw your mortgage rates, two-legged... I came to laugh. Ha-ha-ha. Bye!

Besides, the mizgir does not waste its poison on just anyone. Spiders are very reluctant to bite. And I was convinced of this personally when I was little. As a child, I did not know any of the above. And so I calmly deported tarantulas from my garden with my bare hands. And nothing - alive, safe and sound.



What a wonderful sunny and warm day! I'll sit at home...

If tarantulas are stingy with poison, then they are not stingy with romantic feelings. The season of love falls at the end of summer - sedentary homebodies go in search of a partner. They have already prepared the ultimate seduction technique - dancing! The more energetically you move your belly and paws, the higher the chance that the lady will start dancing with you. But the most important movement in this technique is fast running. The already pregnant female does not need your genes. She only needs calories!



That same girl from the dating site, who was perfect in the photo, but in life...well, you get the idea.

Alas, the males of the South Russian tarantula will not escape from the frost anyway. Almost immediately after mating, they die. But the females hibernate. This is where the holes come in handy - the spiders go deep underground, where the scorching frost cannot reach. The tarantula seals the entrance to the dwelling tightly with cobwebs and soil. And then all that's left to do is wait for the snow to melt and the sun to warm up the frozen ground.



When you've been sitting at home for a week, but suddenly go out to the store for food.

Yes, the mizgir has adapted to the harsh conditions. But his heart has remained tender and tremulous! Just look how carefully the female spiders carry their offspring! First, they weave a cozy cradle from the web, where they place up to 300 eggs. And after the spiderlings hatch, the female literally carries them on herself: the babies crawl onto the mother and cover her with a double layer! When to get off the mother's neck, the offspring decide on their own, gradually wandering off into adulthood!



While our mothers complain that they don't have a ramp near their house, the Mizgiri mothers carry all their children on themselves.