Is a Grammostola Pulchripes a birdeater?

[cold blood]

If anything is deserving of the moniker "birdeater" it would have to be Nephila species!

Or humans.

I'm a polish birdeater...hehe

 

[chanda]

Or humans.

I'm a polish birdeater...hehe

While one could call humans birdeaters, I think I'd prefer to stick with the same naming pattern as is used for tarantulas and name us for the largest possible prey item we could devour, rather than one of the most common. I shall henceforth be known as a California bluewhaleeater! Ok, sure - I've never actually eaten a blue whale, but I'm sure there are some people, somewhere, who have!

 

[Vanessa]

Are these people reptile people? Or was this during a specific time period? Like more than a decade ago? Like @korg said, I’ve never once heard G. pulchripes referred to as some kind of birdeater species.

No, I would hear it at the expos all the time - Golden Knee Birdeater. Technically, they are a Birdeater if you subscribe to the SA terrestrial >5" definition.
Out of all the descriptions, Birdeater is the worst in my opinion. Baboon and Earth Tiger don't bother me anywhere near as much as Birdeater does.

 

[Anoplogaster]

I’ve seen a youtube video where a lady called her G. pulchripes a “Chicago Golden Knee.”

I think it’s a fantastic name!

 

[Nic105]

When I think of Birdeaters, I think of Theraphosa, Lasiodora, Pamphobeteus, Phormictopus, and Acanthoscurria...maybe even Nhandu? Just some food for thought.

 

[Vanisher]

Bird eaters should technically be used only on Avicularia, meaning "little bird" this cos a painting where a Avicularia sp ate a humminbird

 

[spodermin]

Birdeater is sorta offensive. I mean, I kept zebra finches back in the 80's -- the thought of a snake or T consuming one -- just makes me want to vomit.
I know it's just exaggerating a T's size to call them that -- but c'mon -- to me, a bird is a sentient feeling thinking creature. I can't control what Ts do in the wild, but I can't help but think bird eating (or mouse eating) is (hopefully) more rare than previous believed. (Maybe some freak incident where some baby chick fell from a nest?)
And thank you again @chanda for the disturbing baby opossum eating video.

I vote giganticus or dinnerplaticus for large Ts. Seriously.

Don't worry, that video is posted from CNN which means it's definitely fake anyways.

I don't know about tarantulas, but Golden Orb Weavers are certainly known to eat birds occasionally as part of their natural diet.

 

[Teal]

Baboon and Earth Tiger don't bother me anywhere near as much as Birdeater does

Oh good, so it's not just me!

I don't use Earth Tiger (though I think it is an awesome name), but I do use Baboon... I feel like there isn't any question with those two about which species are included, whereas "birdeater" is just a can of confused worms.

 

[Andrea82]

In my opinion only aviculria sp. should be considered birdeaters sicne they have been seen eating baby birds but even then the term itself can be misleading and such an occurrence is actually quite rare, as they’re only sometimes seen eating birds.

@Vanisher
Avicularia sp are called 'birdeaters' because their genus name, Avicularia, means 'eater of birds', not necessarily because they eat birds

 

[Vanisher]

Yes, other than that i guess the birdeaters are mutual populair name for South america huge terrestrial tarantulas like Theraphosa, Lasiodora, Phormictopus, Xenesthis and Pamphos!?

 

[Vanessa]

Oh good, so it's not just me!
I don't use Earth Tiger (though I think it is an awesome name), but I do use Baboon... I feel like there isn't any question with those two about which species are included, whereas "birdeater" is just a can of confused worms.

I think it bothers me as much as it does because it implies that they will get to the same size as a Goliath Birdeater. I would speak to people who would make statements that they would get to 10-12" and were shocked when I told them that wasn't the case and they would probably top out at around 7". I even had a few say "Then why are they called Birdeater?"
Baboon is a a clear reference to a location and Earth Tiger is a clear reference to markings and those aren't as vague and misleading as Birdeater is.

 

[Patherophis]

@Vanisher
Avicularia sp are called 'birdeaters' because their genus name, Avicularia, means 'eater of birds', not necessarily because they eat birds

This is widespread misconception and I thought that for long time too, but in fact word avicularia does not contain any reference to "eater/eating/...".

They were considered to feed on birds since Merian's reports and paintings. Linnaeus, author of the name avicularia (note it was originaly species name, in combination Aranea avicularia and later Mygale avicularia, genus Avicularia was created 60 years later) states about it: "Lives in America, preys on small birds, insects.". Later authors repeated this info, including Lamarck who created genus of this name.

 

[TownesVanZandt]

Baboon is a a clear reference to a location

They are called "baboon spiders" because the scopulae pads on their feet resembles the pads on the fingers/feet of the baboons. At least that is what I have heard.

This is widespread misconception and I thought that for long time too, but in fact word avicularia does not contain any reference to "eater/eating/...".

I also thought it referred to that until I read that it stems from avicula, the diminutive form of avis ("little bird").

 

[Andrea82]

This is widespread misconception and I thought that for long time too, but in fact word avicularia does not contain any reference to "eater/eating/...".

They were considered to feed on birds since Merian's reports and paintings. Linnaeus, author of the name avicularia (note it was originaly species name, in combination Aranea avicularia and later Mygale avicularia, genus Avicularia was created 60 years later) states about it: "Lives in America, preys on small birds, insects.". Later authors repeated this info, including Lamarck who created genus of this name.

I also thought it referred to that until I read that it stems from avicula, the diminutive form of avis ("little bird").

@Patherophis this ^^

 

[Patherophis]

I also thought it referred to that until I read that it stems from avicula, the diminutive form of avis ("little bird").

I love that Linnaeus also used that that word in sentence I cited, "Habitat in America, insidiatur Avilculis, Insectis.".

They are called "baboon spiders" because the scopulae pads on their feet resembles the pads on the fingers/feet of the baboons. At least that is what I have heard.

I read version about it being because baboons were observed to hunt some. I really hate common names.

 

[Vanessa]

I read version about it being because baboons were observed to hunt some.

I worked with a man originally from Zimbabwe who has watched baboons digging them up and eating them and that was the explanation that I remember being given many years ago for the term. He says they go berserk over them. I guess we're not the only primate who finds them to be a delicacy.

 

[Teal]

I really hate common names.

I do, too. Aside from baboon, Orange Bob, and GBB... I won't use any and remain ignorant to them. I don't consider baboon a common name so much as a term for a type of tarantula from a specific area.

 

[Chris LXXIX]

Avicularia = Avi (birds) + cularia (eater).

 

[Patherophis]

Avicularia = Avi (birds) + cularia (eater).

If You do not trust me, what about Michael Jacobi: Scientific names, whare do they come from?
Or authors of Avicularia revision:
"by Linnaeus (1758) when he described the species Aranea avicularia—from the latin avicula, or little
bird—plus aria, meaning "which refers to" " - Fikushima & Bertani 2017

There is related Latin word avicularius reffering to person who sells, keeps or catches birds, and again it does not have any of these verbs in etymology, it corresponds well with its english equivalent "birder".

 

[Mini8leggedfreak]

Someone might have touched on this but I seen a video from Tom Moran and he shows a picture from like the 1700s I think it was called bird eater, it was something with “bird eater” and the picture had a spider with pink toes.
His idea was that BIRD eater is scarier than BUG eater or worm eater.....
So people just started using bird eater to make it more attractive or scary.

It made sense to me