Tarantulas have smarts. :)

Rick West

Tarantula's are so cool. I've always wanted one but the wife says no way. Females live for as long as 30 years and their bite, as painful as it is, is not lethal. Seems they have smarts and innate spatial sense as well.

Researchers have witnessed several cases of spatial orientation in tarantulas – indicating that they may be capable of learning and memory.

They studied nine cases of the movement and hunting behaviour of arboreal (tree-dwelling) and fossorial (subterranean) tarantulas across North and South America, producing rare field-based observations of the creatures.

On two occasions, the arboreal Aviculariinae tarantulas repeatedly left their retreats to hunt at more favourable areas up to two metres away – particularly at locations near artificial light sources that attracted more flying insects.

Species that usually live in burrows within lowland floodplain areas also demonstrated unusual climbing behaviour. They scaled trees at heights of up to 12 metres, with the researchers concluding that they may have been foraging in the tree canopy.

While this has been previously observed to occur in the floodplain’s rainy season to avoid flooding, this behaviour was recorded during the dry season.

Gooty tarantula Poecilotheria metallica, Blue Tarantula - Getty Images

The key for these guys is to avoid, if in the southwest, the Tarantula Hawk,
a formidable hunter of tarantulas without question. 

Pepsis grossa, alongside a golden paper wasp for scale

Intense without question. Once in a great while, the spider wins. :)