Watch a Hairy Tarantula Move With Stunning Speed and Gobble Up a Mouse

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That famous saying “spidey sense,” takes on a whole new meaning with this video. A tarantula — and not just any tarantula, but a Goliath bird-eating tarantula — eats a mouse! 

The educational video below shows a large tarantula rightly named for his goliath-sized body. This tarantula is on the move to find his next meal. Not far ahead of him, a small baby mouse is seen crawling around.

Looking at this mouse, it is obvious he can’t be more than a few days old, likely looking for his way home.

The Goliath birdeater tarantula uses this opportunity to strike. However, just as he gets right up to the baby mouse, his spidey sense, known as the hair on his body, starts tingling. This means that there is something else nearby. 

This baby mouse is a bit too small for this giant tarantula. He wants something bigger. As he rounds the corner, the tarantula sets his eyes on a larger mouse. Undoubtedly, the parent mouse is looking for their young one that lost their way. With ease, this goliath tarantula leaps onto the mouse and starts to gobble it up. 

Goliath Birdeater (Theraphosa blondi) Facts

The Goliath birdeater is a tarantula from the family Theraphosidae. These tarantulas’ bodies are 5 inches long. As if that wasn’t scary enough, their legs can reach up to 12 inches long. These tarantulas weigh approximately 6.2 ounces. 

An interesting fact about these tarantulas that the video above points out is that while their common name has the word “bird eater” in it, they don’t eat birds that often. They prefer to eat lizards, frogs, and mice.  So, when he came across the opportunity to have a baby mouse or an adult mouse, the tarantula chose the better meal. 

Mouse (Mus musculus) Facts

Mice of the family Muridae can be found in various locations worldwide, including in Africa, Asia, Europe, South America, and Central America. 

Mice are rather small animals that weigh between 0.2 and 0.4 pounds. They can run up to 8 miles per hour. 

As herbivores, they feast on fruit, seeds, and grass. There is no shortage of predators for mice as they are an easy meal to eat. However, those who regularly hunt them are birds, cats, foxes, and other reptiles.