Your stories

Mark Pennell, who keeps more than 50 tarantulas at his home in Shirehampton, has been scouring the jungle for the female of a new species yet to be officially recorded.

Last year Mark found a male of the tree-living giant spider and brought it back for preservation in the Natural History Museum.

He has now been looking for an adult female so that the new species can be classified. The new species would be named "Pennelli" after him.

Mark, who is webmaster for the British Tarantula Society, was arachnophobic until he bought a pet tarantula about 25 years ago at the suggestion of his wife Kim.

"My fear soon became a fascination.  They are complex, mysterious and amazing creatures and you can truly appreciate that when you see them in the wild," he said.

Tarantula facts

• There are 800+  known species of tarantula.
• They mainly live in tropical and sub tropical regions in burrows or in trees.
• Some can live up to 30 years
• As well as eight legs they have eight eyes.
• They eat anything they can overpower eg crickets, beetles and cockroaches.
• Large South American species can feed on small lizards, snakes and birds.
• A tarantula bite is painful but the venom is not dangerous, although it might cause an allergic reaction.
• South American species kick off urticating hairs which can lead to an itchy rash.
• The female gives birth by producing a sac containing hundreds of eggs.
• The males are sometimes eaten by the female during mating.

You can find out how Mark gets on in the jungle in Inside Out West on BBC One at 7.30pm on Wednesday, 24 September.