A MEXICAN Mexican Red Rump

[Arakatac]

On a recent trip to the Yucatan Peninsula, I had my eyes peeled for spiders and bugs of all kinds, especially tarantulas, especially vagans and epicureanum (especially still, epicureanum – that seems to be (and remains!) the elusive/impossible T for me …) – anyway, July being the midst of rainy season, and rain reputed to draw tarantulas out of their burrows, I expected to see gazillions of them. Gazillions of mosquitoes, and their itchy calling cards, is what I got. Until one night, coming back to our hotel in Playa Del Carmen in a taxi – I was busy getting a Yucatec Maya lesson from the cab driver when my friend yelled “TARANTULA!” and sure enough, a nice big B vagans could be seen crossing the one-lane blacktop road. The cab driver indulgently pulled over, and before our friend ambled into the shrubbery and the jungle beyond, I was able to get a couple of poses on my Cannon Supershot . He looks hungry (check out that little red rump!) -

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[Reptiliatus]

Cool T!

Weird it was out walking around like that because physically it doesn't look male to me. I now that view doesn't help for identifying tibial hooks on a specimen but I think it's safe to say odds are it's female. Anyone else agree?

Again, cool find !

Dayyan

 

[Zman181]

It is somewhat sad that YES she is or he is in their Natural Environment however, due to Us humans they arent safe If it werent for us they would not have the risk of being run over by vehicle. I hope she/he lives a peaceful life.

 

[pede2]

AWESOME!
Abdomen looks really small..

 

[Arakatac]

It is somewhat sad that YES she is or he is in their Natural Environment however, due to Us humans they arent safe If it werent for us they would not have the risk of being run over by vehicle. I hope she/he lives a peaceful life.

Zman, if it makes you feel any better, here's a partial aerial view of our friend's environment - a mere fraction the vast Yucatan jungle, for the most part undisturbed by humans and their attendant accoutrements - (that's the Gulf of Mexico in the background) -



The Yucatecan Mexicans are taking exquisite care to co-exist peacefully with their environment - check out websites on the Calakmul and Sian Ka'an biospheres - then take a look at Sandos Caracol, a beach resort/wildlife preserve. I think you'll be pleasantly informed. Sure there's gonna be some unintended road-kill, but for the most part, the theraposids rule the land (in the land of the Maya, anyway)!

Meanwhile, my friend April sent me the shot she took of our wandering friend, providing further evidence that I'm a lousy photographer - understand that she took this photo on her cel phone from the inside of the cab, through the open door, while I stood above the vagans fiddling with my camera ...