Don’t Worry – Missouri’s Largest Spider is a Big Cream Puff

I'm not really afraid of anything with one big exception - spiders. That's why I'm not convinced that Missouri's largest spider is truly a big ole cream puff even though the "experts" are trying to convince me it's true.

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I don't spend a lot of my free time thinking about this terrifying skin-crawling subject, but I always thought that wolf spiders were the largest arachnids in Missouri. The state says I'm very wrong. The Missouri Department of Conservation says the real king of the spider jungle is the Texas Brown Tarantula.

I'll be right back. Need to go hide under my desk for a few minutes.

The Missouri Department of Conservation adds the following very interesting fact about tarantulas in Missouri. There's one word in particular I find troubling. I've made it BOLD.

There are more than 50 species of tarantulas in North America, but this is apparently the only one native to Missouri.

So you're telling me that you aren't 100% sure that the Texas Brown Tarantula is the only tarantula in Missouri. Thanks a lot. I also thought it was fun that they gave the size of female tarantulas as 2 inches (without the legs). But, the legs are the scariest part!?! (*face palm*)

The good news if you have arachnophobia is the Texas Brown Tarantula is only found in Missouri south of I-44. All I can say is that if the Missouri River ever dries up, I'm heading to Canada (where there are no known tarantulas).