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away. The name "tarantula" is commonly given to spiders in this family. It is a misnomer - it was originally given to a smaller wolf spider from
Taranto, Italy, where, in the Middle Ages, people danced themselves into a trance - called the tarantella - in an attempt to purge the effects of the wolf spider's bite.
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To defend themselves, they rear up aggressively on their hind legs in a threat posture, they smack their front legs on the ground and a sound comparable to the tearing of velcro can be produced by rubbing leg pairs I and II together. Although they may also bite, their main alternate defence is to run
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that may contain hundreds of eggs. Spiderlings live together for up to 6 months, though some tarantulas from the same sac are believed to co-habitate long after and even share burrows and tunnel systems. Most spiderlings will kill each other for food, but these spiderlings have actually been found to
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and wriggling out of it. They pull their legs out of their old skeletons as we pull our fingers out of gloves. A new exoskeleton has grown underneath and remains soft for about a week. The tarantula stretches his new skeleton to allow for growth space and the new skeleton hardens. During and after
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Adult males have smaller abdomens than females. Male pedipalps are club shaped, but it may take up to 4 years for differences between male and female to show, since the average male lifespan is about 4 years and the leg span of the male is roughly 5 inches (13 cm). These tarantulas spin very
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This is a burrowing spider and ranges in color from a dull black and gray to a rusty orange/brown. It is black when freshly moulted (post-moult) and turns brown just before a moult (pre-moult). Its eyes are small and weak and only able to judge light levels.
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of these tarantulas is not medically significant, but may cause some nausea, though if the victim is abnormally sensitive medical attention may be required. Spider venom is normally intended for prey items though the spider will attack humans if provoked.
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and occasionally birds. They are also known to be one of the only swimming spiders and will occasionally dive to catch fish. They kill their prey with their venom, inject digestive juices into the body of their prey and suck up the resulting liquid.
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the moult, which may take hours to complete, the tarantula is weak and dehydrated. During this time the tarantula is lying on its back with its legs in the air, very vulnerable to other creatures - even some that would normally be its prey.
366:. According to Sam Marshall (an arachnologist, and subject of the book "The Tarantula Scientist"), they dig particularly intricate burrows. They need temperatures of 70 - 95 °F (21°C - 35°C) and high
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up to 8 times. Females usually moult about once a year after maturity and depending on how much the tarantula is fed, it will result in more frequent moults inevitably resulting in faster maturing.
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on its abdomen. (Urticating hairs are hairs found in most new world species (those from North and South
America) that can be shed in defence, they are barbed and may cause severe itching.)
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are part of the exoskeleton and are shed as well. The tarantula avoids eating for a week after to make sure that its new fangs have hardened. A lost limb may be fully or partially
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It also has a leg span which may reach 8 inches (20 cm). This tarantula, in common with the rest of the family, has downward-facing, parallel fangs, used like
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339:- what silk they do spin is used for egg sacs or to line their burrows - they do not make webs. These tarantulas in particular burrow very intricate burrows.
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share food with their siblings. Spiderlings are very difficult to see. Their mother will kill prey for them. In their first year of life, spiderlings
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Its abdomen is oval in shape with a diameter up to 4 inches (10 cm). Although it has hairy legs, this tarantula is an
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Tarantulas in the
Vivarium, P.Klaas, Krieger Pub. Co., 2001 The Encyclopedia of Insects, Ed. C. O'Toole, Equinox, 1987
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in their environment (between 60%-90%). They are naturally found at ground level in tropical
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Animal, Ed. David Burnie & Don E. Wilson, Smithsonian
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These tarantulas will eat other invertebrates, such as
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49:. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.
440:Adaptations: These tarantulas are opportunistic,
460:These tarantulas moult by splitting of the old
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609:http://www.bighairyspiders.com/hgigas.shtml
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109:Learn how and when to remove this message
619:http://www.eightlegs.us/gigas/gigas.html
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7:
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47:adding citations to reliable sources
362:This species lives in tropical and
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798:urn:lsid:nmbe.ch:spidersp:002140
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444:hunters and will take whatever
288:family, Theraphosidae found in
34:needs additional citations for
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542:, Natural History Museum Bern
419:Reproduction and development
589:(Retrieved March 23, 2010).
394:and other spiders or small
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320:species and does not have
298:Cameroon red baboon spider
836:Spiders described in 1897
821:Endemic fauna of Cameroon
364:sub-tropical environments
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134:Scientific classification
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483:Its natural enemies are
423:Females lay eggs in an
331:rather than pincers.
292:. It is known as the
58:"Hysterocrates gigas"
614:Arachnophiliac.co.uk
540:World Spider Catalog
302:red baboon tarantula
43:improve this article
680:Hysterocrates gigas
650:Hysterocrates gigas
534:Hysterocrates gigas
348:Hysterocrates gigas
294:giant baboon spider
284:is a member of the
281:Hysterocrates gigas
263:Hysterocrates gigas
127:Hysterocrates gigas
831:Spiders of Africa
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780:Open Tree of Life
642:Taxon identifiers
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569:on 2008-08-19
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631:Eightlegs.us
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571:. Retrieved
567:the original
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343:Distribution
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207:Infraorder:
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41:Please help
36:verification
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728:iNaturalist
674:Wikispecies
604:NHM.ac.uk/e
473:regenerated
462:exoskeleton
396:vertebrates
388:butterflies
308:Description
181:Chelicerata
177:Subphylum:
815:Categories
573:2008-08-15
546:2016-05-26
511:References
398:, such as
171:Arthropoda
69:newspapers
495:, wasps,
442:nocturnal
318:Old World
286:tarantula
239:Species:
191:Arachnida
157:Kingdom:
151:Eukaryota
99:June 2012
746:10030540
665:Q1310544
659:Wikidata
493:reptiles
436:Behavior
384:crickets
368:humidity
352:Cameroon
329:pickaxes
290:Cameroon
217:Family:
167:Phylum:
161:Animalia
147:Domain:
720:2154022
707:1182047
485:mammals
479:Threats
425:egg sac
404:lizards
358:Habitat
335:little
227:Genus:
201:Araneae
197:Order:
187:Class:
83:scholar
785:373909
772:118972
759:858415
733:474219
505:humans
412:snakes
300:, or
272:, 1897
270:Pocock
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741:IRMNG
694:3P63K
489:birds
469:Fangs
450:venom
430:moult
408:frogs
392:moths
90:JSTOR
76:books
767:NCBI
754:ITIS
715:GBIF
501:pets
497:ants
446:prey
400:mice
378:Food
337:silk
296:,
62:news
793:WSC
702:EoL
689:CoL
503:by
45:by
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