Describing the burrows of the Texas brown tarantulas

Tarantulas occupy wide and diverse ranges in North America. Within this range, they experience a variety of temperatures throughout the year. However, little is known about how tarantulas can survive in temperatures that are often well below zero degrees. Studying the architecture of tarantula burrows provides information about the more elusive life history elements of tarantulas since observation in a burrow is difficult. Like many animals, tarantulas burrow to help regulate their temperature, protect them from predators, and help them survive in often inhospitable environments. To better understand the burrows of the architecture of the “Texas Brown Tarantula,” burrow casts were made using Plaster-of-Paris. The burrow casts were measured and compared to previously published descriptions of other tarantula species’ burrows. Temperatures in the burrows were recorded every hour over the course of one year and compared to the surface temperatures next to the burrows. By analyzing the temperature and burrow structures, we can begin to understand the survival strategies of an understudied, but highly successful species in Colorado’s shortgrass prairie.