A family of large woven web-building spiders native to tropical regions, commonly kept in captivity.
From Latin 'avis' (bird), since early observers thought these large spiders might prey on birds; '-idae' is the standard Latin suffix for animal families in scientific classification.
Aviculariidae spiders (often called tarantulas) were named 'bird-eaters' because 18th-century naturalists observed them catching birds, but they actually eat mostly insects—a case of mistaken identity that stuck!
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