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Friday, June 04, 2010

Portage Library to welcome new pet June 5

HOUGHTON -- The Portage Lake District Library invites children and families to a welcoming event for its new pet Mexican Red-Knee Tarantula! That’s right, tarantula.

From 11 a.m. to Noon on Saturday, June 5, Sandy Hubscher will introduce the tarantula and talk about its many beautiful and unusual characteristics. Kids will notice that the tarantula is currently laying a web, which is a fascinating process to watch. They will find out that a single strand of spider web is stronger than any man-made material of equal size and that birds of all species use spider webs when they build their nests because of its strength. Kids will also learn why tarantulas fling hairs, how they groom themselves, why and how they molt, how and what they eat, and enjoy the very docile nature of this beautiful creature.

Kids will also hear a story about a spider and receive handouts describing tarantula facts.

This tarantula won an overwhelming amount of votes in the contest to choose which kind of tarantula to get. Kids will be asked to suggest names for their new pet over the next two weeks, and the winner of the naming contest will receive a prize.

Everyone is invited to attend and library presentations are free. For more information, please call the library at 482-4570 or visit www.pldl.org.

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