Cast skin of tarantula spider showing piercing fangs from underneath. Not to be bitten by, but not that it normally would! Tarantula bites are not that harmful - most no worse than a bad wasp or bee sting - painful and sore for a while, but that said, having seen the fangs above, I wouldn't really fancy being bitten. There are only two anecdotal cases of death, one in South America and one in India, but if one were allergic and it caused anaphylactic shock, perhaps the the death rate could be higher. Most spiders will run away rather than bite, unless cornered, but the African baboon spiders can be pretty aggressive and will go for you if you get in range of their burrows. The South American species are also good at flicking highly irritating hairs from their abdomen if threatened (presumably to blind a predator). There is a very attractive web building spider in India and Ceylon (the Ornamental Tarantula, Poecilotheria species) which is reputed by the locals to have a poisonous bite and be aggressive, but that is probably no more than a general human fear of spiders. If you need to interact with one, slow steady and calm movements when attempting to move it are probably the best bet. What do you mean move it?!!!
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