Why tarantulas share their burrows with tiny frogs

A closer look

Even giant nightmare spiders understand the value of a good guard dog. Certain large tarantulas willingly share their burrows with tiny microhylid frogs. In this bizarre truce, the spider protects the frog from larger predators, and in exchange, the frog eats the microscopic ants and insects that try to feast on the spider's unhatched eggs. It's a surprisingly wholesome domestic arrangement for creatures of pure terror.