[cheerfulgreek]

Originally Posted by Alumiyum

Yeah there are a lot of tarantulas that I'd like to have because they're beautiful or interesting but maybe one day...I know I couldn't get anything that was actually dangerous while living in an apartment building. I don't want to be responsible for someone getting hurt or worse. Before I got Thelma I had to show my mom several different articles and sources that said a Chilean Rosehair's bite would be about like a bee or wasp sting before she would let me get it. I did occasionally get allergic reactions to the hairs, but they always went away once I took Benedryl. That's the worst that ever happened.

lol
I love the name Thelma.

Originally Posted by IrishLake

Oh and parasitology was one of my profs concentration. It was ok for me. I really preferred the insects though. I had to have a 100 species collection for my ento class, and I think I was the only one who ended up with an A because I had species from all of the 12 required Orders, where most others only had 10 or 11. It was tough too, everything had to fit in a 12"x16" box. Then for the other classes I needed an insect collection (invert zoo and natural history), I was the schmuck who was collecting bugs for everyone in the damn class, lol.

lol @ what's in bold.
Yep, I love parasites, not just the internal microscopic parasites, but insects, too. Like, a lot of bugs are social parasites of ants that aren't ants themselves. I know some butterflies, for example can trick ants into raising their caterpillars. They lay their eggs on flowers, and when the caterpillars hatch, they drop to the ground where ants come across them. Normally, ants look at a caterpillar as food, but if they come across a social parasite, they kind of act as if the caterpillar is a lost larva from it's own colony. It's really interesting because, the ants are deceived by the caterpillars ordors, so then they take it back to their nest, where they feed it, and groom it the same way they would any of their own larvae. Crazy thing is, sometimes the ants even prefer the parasite to their own young.