what do tarantulas eat

Tarantulas are exclusive carnivores that primarily eat a diet consisting of large insects such as grasshoppers, crickets, beetles, caterpillars, and other spiders. They are also known to consume small lizards, snakes, frogs, and occasionally even small birds and rodents. In captivity, tarantulas require live food sources such as gut-loaded insects, mealworms, dubia roaches, and crickets. They are nocturnal hunters and rely on ambush and pursuit to catch their prey. Tarantulas have a fascinating and unconventional approach to eating, which involves injecting their prey with venom to render it motionless and then consuming it by sucking up the liquefied prey. They are equipped with urticating hairs on their abdomen, which can be released to irritate potential attackers. Tarantulas are sensitive to vibrations in the ground that may indicate the presence of prey or danger. They are powerful apex predators due to their hunting expertise and adaptability to a wide range of settings.