male brachypelma emilia life span.

sohail

sohail

Arachnopeon
Joined
Sep 26, 2012
Messages
16
can any one tell me what is the exact life span of a male Mexican red leg tarantula??
i had heard they live longer than other male species.
 
xhexdx

xhexdx

ArachnoGod
Old Timer
Joined
Jul 20, 2007
Messages
5,357
Life expectancy is based on two main factors:

Temperature of enclosure
Feeding frequency

The colder the enclosure and the less often you feed, the slower the spider will grow and, consequently, the longer it will live.

The warmer the enclosure and the more often you feed, the faster the tarantula will molt and the faster it will grow, mature, and die.

This applies to most tarantula species with few exceptions (the Megaphobema genus is one example of an exception).

So no, we can't give you an exact life span. Sorry.

JadeWilliamson said:
A year or two assuming he doesn't get eaten. ;)
Click to expand...
I think the OP was asking for entire life span, not just post-maturity.

If the latter, then I would agree with JadeWilliamson, although males of the Brachypelma genus are notorious for only living several months (typically less than one year) after maturing.

Anyway...
 
Oreo

Oreo

Arachnocookie
Joined
Sep 21, 2011
Messages
259
^ what he said! Nice to see ya around again, have anymore red widows? :)

JadeWilliamson said:
A year or two assuming he doesn't get eaten. ;)
Click to expand...
Yep after maturity. Total lifespan maybe 8 years but I haven't kept one myself for that long.
 
sohail

sohail

Arachnopeon
Joined
Sep 26, 2012
Messages
16
tnx all for your guides. yes dear xhexdx i mean the total life span. i have a 6cm Mexican red leg so i wanted to know.
 
Stan Schultz

Stan Schultz

Arachnoprince
Old Timer
Joined
Jul 16, 2004
Messages
1,677
sohail said:
can any one tell me what is the exact life span of a male Mexican red leg tarantula??
i had heard they live longer than other male species.
Click to expand...
1) There is no such thing as an "exact life span" for tarantulas any more than there is for humans.


2) Are you talking about Brachypelma emilia?

(Click or right-click the thumbnails for larger images.)


Or, Brachypelma smithi?



B. smithi used to be called the "Mexican red leg tarantula" until the Common Names Committee of the American Arachnological Society decreed that the name really belonged to B. emilia (properly spelled redleg by their rules). (See ACN5.pdf.) In the heat of discussion I still mistakenly get them switched! :eek:

Now, B. smithi are called Mexican redknee tarantulas in spite of the fact that the color is really orange, and the orange color only appears as flashes on their patellae and as rings around other segments of their legs.

3) If B. smithi, read New owner questions.

4) For Brachypelma emilia, the males may mature in as little as 5, or as long as 15 years, or even longer. This depends on their individual genetics, their feeding, and the temperature at which they are kept. Maybe also by a bunch of things we're not even aware of! Once they experience their ultimate molt (i.e., become sexually mature) they seldom live much longer than about a year. Eighteen or 20 months would be an exceptionally long time.

Females mature sometime (sometimes a LONG time!) after their 10th year. And, since they haven't been bred in captivity long enough we're not sure what their average or maximal lifespan really is. Marguerite and I acquired an adult female in 1975 or 1976 (I have two conflicting dates.)...


Brachypelma emilia, Mexican redleg tarantula. "The Duchess." The date on the photo was 1975.

... that eventually lived until January 1995. Thus, we had her for possibly 20 years. If we guesstimate an age of at least 15 years when we first got her, she lived at least 35 years and had an approximate 8" DLS. Not bad for just a bug, no?


A photo of the Duchess taken sometime in the early 1990s.

Regardless of which species you're considering, both males and females are exceptionally long lived spiders. What will you be doing in 10, 20, or 30 years?


Enjoy your little 8-legged Methuselah!
 
Last edited:
sohail

sohail

Arachnopeon
Joined
Sep 26, 2012
Messages
16
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top