This is the sun spider. Another, creepy looking, yet harmless to humans insect. The Sun spider isn't a spider at all but rather a solpugids. These guys can actually walk up windows and are crazy fast. Fortunately, they don't mess with humans unless you mess with them.
Sun spiders are good predators, able to run down their prey and catch it with
great speed. Sun spiders feed upon insects and arachnids, and even small
lizards. They are also good diggers and probably spend most of their time
underground. They are most active in the desert southwest during the warm months
of May and June, and they remain active throughout the rainy season during July,
August, and September.
This is the Tailless Whipscorpion. We found one on the kitchen floor two days ago but we see them frequently around the property. In my opinion it's one of the scariest looking spiders out there. These spiders are not poisonous so we try not to hurt them. The more bugs they can eat the better.
Amblypygids, which include tail-less whip scorpions
and whip spiders, are non-venomous, non-silk-spinning arachnids. Taxonomically
they belong (along with true whip scorpions) between scorpions and spiders,
having a closer affinity to the latter. They differ from the more elongate
uropygids in having a rounded anterior and an elongated oval abdomen lacking a
tqil and poison glands, and in having the cephalothorax joined to the
abdomen by a slender pedicel.
Amblypygids are common nocturnal predators of
insects, including: cockroaches, crickets, grasshoppers, beetles, butterflies
and wood lice, and also arachnids, and are harmless to people. They can be found
in dark moist sites among rocks, under wood debris and logs, as well as in human
dwellings.
This is an Arizona Blonde Tarantula- I found it walking in my door way tonight as seen in the video below. She is a female as shown by her thick body and tan colors. Not too far from her was a large male as well. The male's aren't as thick and are darker in color.
The Arizona blond tarantula is typically found in saguaro-dominated plant
communities. There are many similar species throughout the desert southwest, but
they are difficult to differentiate.
Ecology
Tarantulas are nocturnal predators that never venture far from their burrows
unless it is mating season. In winter they plug their burrows with soil, rocks,
and silk and survive in a relatively inactive state. During this time the
animals live off stored fat reserves.
Tarantulas have an interesting defensive capability in addition to venom.
Some of the hairs on the top of the abdomen are specialized for defense. These
urticating hairs, as they are called, are tipped with backward pointing barbs.
If a tarantula is threatened in any way, it brushes these hairs into the face,
paw or other body part of its attacker. Once these hairs are embedded, they are
irritating and very difficult to remove because of the barbs.
Male tarantulas mature when they are 10 to 12 years of age, at which time
they leave their burrows in search of females. Upon finding the burrow of a
mature female—she’s usually at least 10 years old—the male will announce himself
by stroking the silk at the top of the burrow and tapping particular sequences
that the female responds to. During mating, the male must reach under the female
to insert his pedipalp into her gonopore to deposit sperm. He is particularly
vulnerable to predation by the female when mating. The male’s first pair of legs
has a “spur”located behind the knee which he uses to hold the female above him
during copulation. After copulation the male makes a hasty retreat. The female
lays her eggs in a burrow, sometimes staying with them. The young remain in the
burrow until they disperse.
Here's a picture of what the males look like- The first picture is of an adult that was in the front yard not too far from the above female. The 2nd is a very young male that was on the back patio a few days ago. He is only about the size of a half dollar.
