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  3. Mexican Redknee Tarantula

One of the 6 tarantulas on WAnimals

Arachnids · Araneae · Theraphosidae

Mexican Redknee Tarantula

Brachypelma smithi

Near Threatened

It could become threatened in the near future if current threats go unchecked.

Spotted something wrong?

The Mexican orangeknee is a mygalomorph spider of the family Theraphosidae that lives in the Pacific zone of the Mexican state of Guerrero. It is black, with red and yellowish rings on its legs. Thanks to long, fine hairs on their legs, these spiders can detect the direction of the wind, vibrations in their web, smells, the distance they have travelled and even the quickest and safest route home.

Size

up to 5.9 cm

Diet

Carnivore

Feeds mainly on other animals.

Activity

Diurnal

Active mainly during the day.

Social structure

Solitary

Lives and hunts alone, joining others only to breed.

Desert
1countries5parks4same family

Fun facts

  • The female spends almost her whole life inside the burrow, which shelters her from predators such as the coati and lets her ambush large insects, frogs and mice.
  • It is one of the most popular pet tarantulas, and that has put it at risk: it has been listed in CITES Appendix II since 1985, with the rest of the genus added in 1994. Even so, at least 3,000 Mexican tarantulas are reckoned to have been smuggled out of Mexico in the years up to 2017, most of them red-knees.
  • It defends itself by flicking urticating hairs from its abdomen with its hind legs, rather than by biting.

Life cycle and biology

Skeleton type
Invertebrate - chitin exoskeleton (arachnid)
Habitat and environment
Scrub and dry forest on the Pacific slope of Guerrero, in Mexico; it digs deep single-entrance burrows with one or two chambers, almost always beside vegetation

Sources consulted: Wikipedia (es): Brachypelma smithi

Where to find it

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The pins mark the parks where its presence is documented.

Where to see it

Parks and dive sites where this species has been documented.

Related species

Other species in the catalogue with the most in common with Mexican Redknee Tarantula — same habitat, park, country, tags or family.

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Keep exploring

Based on what we already know about mexican redknee tarantula.

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See full glossary
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CountriesMexico
ParksSumidero CanyonMexico
TagsCarnivore
Carnivore
Diurnal
Solitary
Near Threatened
Desert
Arachnid
Mexico