What is a tibial hook?
When male tarantulas reach maturity, right before they set out on their quest, they develop a special set of clasps on their front legs called “tibial hooks.” Tibial hooks serve a single purpose: to fasten underneath the female’s fangs during courtship, allowing him to keep danger at arm’s length, so to speak.
How do you tell if your pink toe tarantula is a male or female?
The male pink-toed tarantula grows to about 9cm in size while the females are larger and grow to about 13cm (Schultz and Schultz, 2009). The mature males are thinner and have longer legs, and the hair of their abdomen has a metallic black hue (Hoy, 2006).
What is an Unsexed spider?
If the gender is unknown no gender will be stated and the specimen will be sold as “un-sexed”. Those tarantulas are sold as “unsexed” because we are unable to determine, or even guess their gender at this time.
Do all tarantulas have tibial hooks?
Recognizing mature males The key word here is “some”, as many species will not present this feature while others, like some in the Avicularia genus, will have hooks too small to see. An illustration of a male tarantula. Some species don’t have tibial hooks, so it is better and more accurate to look for the emboli.
Do all male tarantulas have hooks?
Mature Male Differences Mature males have a hook on the underside of their front leg. These hooks keep the female’s fangs away from the male during mating. Mature males also have bulbs on their pedipalps, the two shorter, leg-like feelers located near their fangs. These bulbs are the male spider’s sex organs.
How can you tell how old a tarantula is?
Most females, once they reach maturity, are two-thirds the size of their full-grown size. Look online for the specific species of tarantula that you own, and determine if the female is at least two-thirds its full size. If the tarantula is male and has not yet reached maturity, it may be between 2 to 5 years old.
What do desert tarantulas eat?
Tarantulas are nocturnal hunters. They feed primarily on insects like grasshoppers, beetles, other small spiders and arthropods, and will sometimes eat small lizards. They will attempt to overcome anything of the right size that moves in their range. Most tarantulas have weak venom.
Do tarantulas eat other tarantulas?
Tarantulas’ personality determines whether they copulate with males or cannibalize them. After copulating with a male, female spiders tend to practice sexual cannibalism, that is to say, they attack the males and eat them.
Do crustaceans have Pedipalps?
Pedipalps are traditionally thought to be homologous with mandibles in crustaceans and insects, although more recent studies (e.g. using Hox genes) suggest they are probably homologous with the crustacean second antennae.
What are the best Grammostola porteri enclosures?
Two great Grammostola porteri enclosures are the Exo Terra 18″ × 18″ × 12″ terrarium and the Repti Zoo 20″ x 12″ x 10″ enclosure. Both of these options are plenty large enough and are secure, breathable, accessible, and have great visibility.
How to tell the difference between a male and female tibial hook?
Just like the GBB notice the males lankier overall appearance, including longer legs and smaller, more narrow fangs when compared to the mature female (bottom) Here is the same photo again, with the males “boxing gloves” and his visible tibial hook circled in yellow:
What is the difference between Grammostola porteri and Grammostola rosea?
Both of these were classified as Grammostola rosea. However, as the taxonomy was studied closer over the years, it was eventually determined that these are two different species altogether! The red color form would remain as Grammostola rosea while the normal color form would be identified as Grammostola porteri.
How to care for a Grammostola porteri tarantula?
Within their enclosure, Grammostola porteri typically relaxes out in the open or down in their enclosure. They aren’t incredibly active, but that means that they’re great display tarantulas. Housing one of these tarantulas is very simple. They’re incredibly hardy and are fairly lenient in terms of the environment that they can be kept in.