User Josh's Frogs Picture Thread

[Joshs Frogs]

The Antilles Pink Toe Tarantula's scientific name, Caribena versicolor, translates as, "The Caribbean Spider that changes colors." Born sapphire blue with a distinct pattern, they gradually change to being metallic pink overall with a teal cephalothorax. Changes like these, that happen with age, are called ontogenetic changes.


Psalmopoeus victori is known as the Darth Maul Tarantula. It got that name from the striking, high contrast black and red that make this tarantula look so exciting. This individual is just starting to grow into its adult colors.

 

[Joshs Frogs]

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Why do breeders pull tarantula egg sacs at around 30 days after they are laid? There are other reasons, but not having to remove each tiny baby by hand that just happen to be behind a very disapproving mother is a pretty good reason all by itself!! This is one of our Trinidad Chevron Tarantulas (Psalmopoeus cambridgei) that produced this sac, years ago.

 

[Joshs Frogs]

Avicularia avicularia Morphotype Six (M6 for short) is commonly known as the Metallic Pink Toe Tarantula. This is the mother of our most recent baby M6 spiderlings, Tina (AvAvM6-014F). She is an excellent example of her kind. As adults, they tend to have an overall bright to dark blue, overall coloration. They have white tips on longer, shaggier looking "hairs" (setae) that remind me of 90's Acid Washed Jeans. These are bold tree spiders that can often be found out sunning themselves when it is quiet. The spiderlings look completely different! They are born with pink legs and black toes. They have a distinct pattern on their abdomen. This changes, over the course of about 2 years, to their adult colorations with blue legs and their characteristic pink toes.

 

[Joshs Frogs]

Nhandu tripeppi is the Brazilian Blonde Tarantula. This gorgeous mix of flaxen, reddish and greenish hairs gives this spider a look reminiscent of old 3d movies. As pretty as this tarantula is, approach with caution! Her short temper and dramatic threat poses make her a jewel in a more advanced keeper’s collection. She may not be the best idea for beginners!

 

[Joshs Frogs]

Theraphosa blondi is the true Goliath Bird Eater Tarantula. While, even in the wild, this species would not ever be likely to eat a bird, this species is capable of having greater than a ten inch diagonal leg span. That is a wider stretch than a dinner plate! While they are young, they are an absolute fuzz bucket. It is also much easier to tell the difference between them and their close relatives while they are young. Both of its close relatives have at least four, if not eight, pink tips to their feet. T. blondi has no pink tips to its feet.


Tarantula courtship can be a scary thing for the male. In tarantula courtship, there is a fine line between being a dinner date and just plain being dinner. Once the male is mature, he leaves his nice safe burrow and skitters out into the open night to find a lady. Once he finds her, he knocks on her door to let her know that he is there and would like to not get eaten. He does this by tapping his legs near the opening of her burrow. He is careful to do this close enough for her to feel his taps and know that he is strong enough to tap loudly, but far enough away to make a break for it if she decides that he would make a better breakfast than boyfriend. Here we see a mature male Pumpkin Patch Tarantula (Hapalopus formosus) in exactly that same predicament. He almost got in the door, seen in this picture, when she chased him out. I tell you, there was a hole in space where that little spider was. That little guy teleported into the catch cup. He lived to court another day. By the way, notice that she is easily 4 to 5 times his size.