The Goliath Birdeater (Theraphosa blondi) is a large South American arachnid featured in the Standard Edition of Planet Zoo.
It is one of the game's Exhibit Animals.
Zoopedia Information[]
General[]
Population in the Wild: Unknown
The Goliath birdeater (or Theraphosa blondi) is an extremely large species of tarantula native to the tropical rainforests, swamps and marshes of Suriname, Guyana, French Guiana, Brazil and Venezuela. It is tan brown in color, covered in red-brown hair, has a large abdomen with a large, round thorax, thick segmented legs, and elongated pedipalps (mouth parts). The female is larger than the male, and both sexes have pronounced appendages on the end of their abdomen known as 'spinnerets' that aid in web deposition. The web of the Goliath birdeater is used for making egg sacs and for sperm transfer, but they do not spin webs for hunting.
Social[]
Goliath birdeaters are solitary animals and do not interact except to mate.
Reproduction[]
The male spins a web on the ground in which he deposits sperm, before absorbing it onto his palps and going in search of a female's burrow in an attempt to coax her out. If he is successful, he will approach her using his front legs to hook back her fangs, depositing the sperm in a furrow on her abdomen. The female will store this until she is ready to lay her eggs, laying around 50 to 200 of them in an egg sac. She will guard the sac in her burrow, carrying it with her when she leaves to hunt, until the spiderlings hatch in 6 to 8 weeks. Once hatched, the young spider remain in the burrow, guarded by their mother until their first moult, after which will venture out and become independent.
Animal Care[]
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Trivia[]
Zoopedia Fun Facts[]
- The Goliath birdeater is the largest species of spider in the world; the body can be 12cm long and the leg span can be 28cm.
- In this species of spider, the female does not kill and eat the male during or after mating.
- When threatened, goliath birdeaters release hairs from their abdomen that cause severe skin irritation.
- The venom of the Goliath birdeater is not strong to humans and is comparable to wasp sting venom.
- The Goliath birdeater is a delicacy in the local cuisine of Northeastern South America.
Gallery[]
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