01 Jul, 2008

Tarantulas and scorpions have made riverbank burrows their places of refuge.

Today I drove to Thung Salaeng Luang National Park in the mid-north of Thailand.  I intended to head down to a river that flows through the park and explore along the bank to see what I could find. On the way to the river I drove through a section of the park where a soil bank ran along the side of the road. Such banks are often fertile ground for wildlife so I drove slowly, peering into the bank as I went. To my delight I very quickly saw a set of black legs protruding from a burrow in the bank and I knew I was on to something.

Two years ago I found a burrow, in a similar bank to this, in another National Park, which was home to a gorgeous tarantula spider (Haplopelma minax). Until then I was unaware that tarantulas lived in Thailand, or indeed in Asia! 

At first the spider was inside the burrow tunnel but after a while it made its way towards the mouth of the burrow and I was able to get a better look at it. I am fairly sure, though not 100%, that this species is Haplopelma minax, sometimes referred to as Thai black tarantula. I have tried to research these spiders in the past and the situation seems quite confused, with several species found in Thailand and a number of local "types" recognized by the pet trade, which is where most of the information comes from. To compound the issue, there seem to be many different common names for the same species, depending on where it comes from.

Assuming it is Haplopelma minax, it is known to be very aggressive and quick to bite if unduly disturbed or molested.

The first one I saw today was not particularly large as they can reach a leg span of about 12cm (4.7in). I have previously found them in deep burrows in soil, with a web lining and a little bit of web around the entrance, or in natural cracks in the rock inside caves.

I searched the bank for more spiders and very quickly caught a glimpse of something black disappearing in to a burrow but had a feeling it wasn’t a spider and sure enough a few minutes later I crept back to look again and was greeted by the stinging end of a wonderful scorpion (Heterometrus spinifer). Again the information on this group is poor, but I am fairly sure this was Heterometrus spinifer or the Asian giant forest scorpion.

I was amazed to see it standing guard outside its burrow with its stinging end outwards. I have no idea what this behaviour was all about. On several occasions this scorpion was disturbed by the noises I made as I tried to move the camera into position, and it shot back into its burrow. Each time it emerged again quite quickly. Sometimes it would stand guard with its pincers out and sometimes turn itself around to present its stinging end. If anybody out there has information on this creature, I would love to hear from them.

I continued to scan the bank for more burrows and found it riddled with holes of various sizes. I couldn’t help wondering what the night life was like here. I found one more spider burrow that appeared to be empty, and then another. The one that was occupied by the spider was fairly deep inside and although I waited a long time it never re-emerged.

I am hoping to get some infrared camera gear in the near future and this bank will be high on my list to come back to film at night.

– by Darryl Sweetland, Earth-Touch crew © Earth-Touch

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