Tarantulas

Top Left: Tapinachenius gigas with egg sac; Top Right: Pamphobeteus sp. adult male; Center Left: Poecilotheria fasciata;  Center Right: Ceratogyrus bechuanicus; Bottom Left:  Chromatopelma cyaneopubescens, adult male; Bottom Right: Theraphosa blondi in the field in French Guiana eating a large earthworm.

This picture was taken of me with my undergraduate research associates at the J. H. Barrow Field Station in 2001.  From left to right: Richard Blatchford, Vanessa Gorley, Melissa Varrecchia, and Barbara Vasquez. (Yes, Richard generally has that look on his face.)

I began my research career working with tarantulas for my undergrad thesis (on physiological ecology).  I continued to focus on these spiders for my Master's thesis, for which I studied the biology of the largest spider in the world, Theraphosa blondi.  Since then I have conducted a range of research with undergraduates on tarantulas.  It has always been fun! I have also published a book on tarantulas and their care ('Tarantulas and Other Arachnids', Barron's Educational Series, 1996).  I am also the focus of a book written for children ('The Tarantula Scientist', by Sy Montgomery and Nic Bishop, Houghton Mifflin, 2004).

Two tarantula species I described with Rick West.  Left: Ephebopus cyanognathus West & Marshall 2000, Right: Ephebopus rufescens West & Marshall 2000. These great pictures were taken by my friend and fellow French Guianaphile Jim Lapp. Both these spiders are found in French Guiana in upland rainforest.

Here I visit with Cathy Corr's class at the Mantua, Ohio primary school.  As part of the lead up to my visit Cathy has had the students set up their own 'Spider Lab'.

In my role as 'The Tarantula Scientist' I visit classrooms with tarantulas. The kids love it. I hope that I can make spiders a few new friends when I do this.  Sy Montgomery calls it 'The Spider Ministry'.