<div><p>Most of us have been lucky enough to grow up with a loving pet at home. Cat people and dog people can always agree on one thing: pets make lives better. Well someone else apparently agrees with that too - tarantulas.</p><p><!-- [invalid-shortcode] --></p><p>Yes those creepy crawly nightmares are actually loving and nurturing owners of pets just like we are. You won't find them walking their dog though, these arachnids have a fondness for frogs, and nothing else.</p><div><figure><amp-img src="https://www.shared.com/content/images/2017/03/tarantulaandfrog-scienceblog.jpg" title="Tarantula and Frog" alt="Tarantula and Frog" height="9" width="16" layout="responsive"></amp-img><figcaption class="op-vertical-center"><cite>Science Blog</cite></figcaption></figure></div><p>Tarantulas will actually take a small frog back to it's hovel (tarantulas don't spin webs, they live in tiny holes) and keep the frog. The frog will eat smaller insects that a tarantula wouldn't bother with like ants, ticks and other such nuisances. This in turn keeps the tarantula's eggs safe.</p><p>Yay, more tarantulas!</p><p><!-- [invalid-shortcode] --></p><p>Symbiotic relationships aren't new or uncommon in the wild, but what makes this relationship special is that a tarantula will actually show affection to the frog. Using one of its legs the spider will actually stroke the frog on the back, not unlike how we pet our animals.</p><p>No word yet on if frogs like belly rubs.</p><div><amp-imgur data-imgur-id="xsfjrOa" layout="responsive" height="540" width="663"></amp-imgur></div><p>Also interesting is that tarantulas only like one species of frog, and will actually eat other ones. Researches have reported tarantulas mounting frogs, tasting them, and then walking away, leaving a frog unharmed.</p><div><figure><amp-img src="https://www.shared.com/content/images/2017/03/specialfrog-scienceblog.jpg" title="Special Frog" alt="Special Frog" height="9" width="16" layout="responsive"></amp-img><figcaption class="op-vertical-center"><cite>Science Blog</cite></figcaption></figure></div><p>Oops, how embarrassing.</p><p>These behaviors have been seen on multiple continents too, meaning spiders have evolved to keep frogs more than once. Maybe they are just looking for their prince?</p></div>