20170904_2229

Harpactira hamiltoni. It can get to 5~ inches in leg span.

Please release it though as I am sure you are aware its illegal to keep animals native to SA in captivity.

Infact, ignore my previous comment. I am just reading this is in Western Cape? If so then it is most likely Harpactirella sp. possibly H. karrooica. Species from this genus dont grow large at all. They Re basically dwarf baboon spiders. The specimen in the photo is most likely an adult as it has started to darken.

Thanks for the quick response! I am fully aware that it is illegal to keep these in captivity, but I happen to have a special permit for local baboon spiders. They usually refuse to give permits for any spiders in the Western Cape, and furthermore, it is illegal for us to have ANY T's in captivity- even those that are not native. The reason I got a permit, is because I keep a few baboon spiders in captivity to educate people about their importance in our ecosystem. The people from SA kill these creatures at a high rate, thus the population has gone down a lot. So I go around schools and show them that T's are not the monsters people put them out to be.

P.S. I actually don't like kids that much, but I found this loophole in our system which allows me to have a pet T.

Just to give an update. I consulted a local zoologist who specializes in South African Baboon Spiders. He has over 30 years of experience with the baboons found all over South Africa. He was fascinated by this T- He said that he has never seen anything like it. He suspects that it is Harpactirella sp., but he can't be sure. He's going to go check his records next week to see if he can identify this specie and genus.

Based on locality I would say its Harpactirella karrooica