Isn't THIS an intriguing photo! Melani Howard with the Hays County chapter of the Texas Master Naturalist program texted it to me. With her permission, I'm sharing it here.
"This tarantula was under our water trough along with three 'pet' frogs," she wrote. "I was wondering about this behavior."
Me, too!
According to the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation, here's what's going on: "They have a mutualistic association with tarantulas. Tarantulas inhabit
holes under rocks, and one or two western narrow-mouthed toads can be
found in a tarantula’s hole, sometimes sitting under the tarantula.
Apparently the toads have chemicals in their skin that protect them from
being recognized as food by the tarantula. Because the toads feed
heavily on ants, they may prevent ants from inhabiting the tarantula’s
burrow."
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| Tarantula, either Texas tan or Texas brown (Aphonopelma sp.) |
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| Western narrow-mouth toads (Gastrophryne olivacea) |
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