Meet Megan Davis

We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Megan Davis. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Megan below.

Hi Megan, really happy you were able to join us today and we’re looking forward to sharing your story and insights with our readers. Let’s start with the heart of it all – purpose. How did you find your purpose?

For years, I’ve been searching for a purpose, much like everyone else. I’ve always wanted to do something with my life, and in my free time, that could potentially make a difference in the lives of others by changing their perspective on something negative to something positive. There are many things that people hate simply because they do not understand them, and one of those things are spiders. However, despite their sometimes disturbing appearance, I’ve come to learn that these creatures are simply scared and delicate animals within a massive, and sometimes lethal, ecosystem. I’ve always been drawn to the more eclectic, ‘scary’ animals of the world – from snakes to sharks to spiders – the animals that are so incredibly vital to our planet, yet are treated poorly due to media hype and misinterpretation. Through seeing this my entire life, my purpose was quickly redirected to helping to educate people on the importance of arachnids and why they should not look to the media for realistic views on these creatures.

I took to social media to present to the world my collection of arachnids that I keep at home: Making videos, taking pictures, and posting factual, educational information about these creatures with the hope that people will see the beauty in these little creatures rather than seeing a monster.

Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?

I’ve always loved the strange creatures of the world, as I mentioned before, so my focus at this point in time is to continue to grow a community of like-minded individuals that can help to spread knowledge about how important arachnids are; and continue to gain a following on all platforms so that I can continue to reach more people across the country, or even the world, to show them the beauty within even the strangest of lifeforms.

Aside from building community, this hobby is so personally rewarding. You learn so much, and the learning never stops. There is always something new and exciting going on; whether that’s a new specimen being introduced into the hobby, or simply watching your tarantula change color and personality with each molt. I’ve met individuals that were terrified of spiders prior to speaking with me, and by the end of our conversation, they usually have a completely different outlook on spiders as a whole – and that is one of the most rewarding feelings in the world – to know that you have helped someone not only overcome a fear, but grow as an individual that can respect even the smallest forms of life.

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

First would be facing my fears. I used to suffer from severe arachnophobia, but because I decided to face my fears and start reading up on what arachnids are actually like, I’ve been able to show them to people in a new, refreshing light. My ability to handle, rehouse, and take care of my arachnids is based off of my confidence with them. In order for me to gain this confidence, and work with more defensive species, I needed to eliminate my fears.

Secondly, and relating closely to my last point, would be focusing on education. From books to articles to speaking with experienced breeders and keepers, I consumed as much information as I could, on every species that I could. The reality is that, although most tarantulas are completely harmless and docile, there are some species that are much more defensive and will readily attempt to flee or throw up a threat pose. This is not to say that they are mean or aggressive, but it is to say that knowledge is power when it comes to understanding each individual species. Aside from species-specific information, I also wanted to be educated on husbandry, feeding, and the locations where each species is native to. I truly believe that gaining knowledge will always be the core fuel to any passion.

Lastly, I’ve learned that it’s important to never be afraid to ask for help and make sure that you have a solid support system. Even after keeping arachnids for as long as I have, there are still moments where I’m at a loss or don’t have the answer and I need help. This is where my community comes in with answers, suggestions, and ideas. This community acts as a support system when it’s needed and it’s such an important piece of the puzzle when it comes to success and spreading awareness.

One of our goals is to help like-minded folks with similar goals connect and so before we go we want to ask if you are looking to partner or collab with others – and if so, what would make the ideal collaborator or partner?

Ideally, I’d love to collaborate at some point in the future with a like-minded individual, around the same age as myself, to start an exotic animal podcast, or an arachnid-specific podcast to start educating the general public about arachnids & exotic animals and pets – talking more specifically about the importance that each of these animals’ roles in our ecosystem, why these creatures deserve to be respected but not feared, the care and maintenance that goes into keeping them, and the facts versus the myths about each animal. Knowledge is power and the more knowledge that we can give, the more power we have in reversing the negative images we’ve given these creatures through pure misunderstanding.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/megandfangs/
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@megandfangs

Image Credits

Image Credit: Megan Davis