The Brazilian Salmon Pink Tarantula (Lasiodora parahybana) is a large South American arachnid featured in the Standard Edition of Planet Zoo.
Zoopedia Description[]
General[]
Population in the Wild: Unknown
The Brazilian salmon pink tarantula (or Lasiodora parahybana) is a large species of spider exclusively endemic to the Atlantic Forest area of East Brazil. They are black in color, with pink or red hairs on their legs and abdomen. When looked at as a whole, the males are slightly larger than females with a leg span that can reach 11.2 in, but females are heavier with a larger abdomen. Males also often have brighter coloration than females.
Social Needs[]
Brazilian salmon pink tarantulas are solitary animals and are likely to be aggressive towards each other if kept too close together in a terrarium. Exhibits are large enough to support a small population.
Reproduction[]
The male spider spins a web on the ground, onto which he deposits sperm before he absorbs it onto his palps (mouth appendages). He then goes in search of females by roaming the forest floor, both sexes using chemical signals to establish whether other spiders they encounter are the same species, as well as to determine if the female is receptive.
If she is, the male will approach and she will raise her front legs in a defensive posture. Using his front legs to prevent her from attacking him, he deposits the sperm from his palps in a furrow on her abdomen so she can store it for around 3 months, until she is ready to lay between 500 and 2000 eggs in an egg sac. She will guard this for several weeks until the spiderlings hatch. Salmon pink tarantulas will go through around 10 molts a year until they are fully grown at around 2 to 3 years old.
Animal Care[]
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Exhibit animals can't share space with other species. |
Trivia[]
Zoopedia Fun Facts[]
- Brazilian salmon pink tarantulas are also known as 'bird eating spiders' although there is very little evidence that they routinely eat birds.
- The fangs of the salmon pink tarantulas are 1in long and can give a very painful bite.
- Males have 'tibial hooks' on their front legs that are used to 'hook back' the female's jaws so she cannot attack him while mating with her.
- The venom of this tarantula dissolves the flesh of its prey, making it easier for the spider to eat.
- Salmon pink tarantulas only bite as a last resort, but they may flick barbed hairs from their abdomen as a defense mechanism. These hairs are incredibly irritating and can cause blindness.
Gallery[]
