tarantula is the common name for a group of "hairy" and often very large spiders belonging to the family theraphosidae, of which approximately 900 species have been found. some tarantulas hunt prey in trees and some hunt on the ground. all tarantulas can make silk. they use silk to make shelters like tube tents in trees, to line burrows if they live on the ground, and they all use silk to wrap up prey before they eat it. it is easy to see a tarantula turning around and around in one spot with the prey in its mouth, but it is hard to see the silk coming out because it is small in diameter (thickness) and transparent. these spiders are found in warmer regions around the world.